Messiaen’s Turangalila-Symphonie (1948) weaves an awe-inspiring tapestry of exotic sound. He said that it celebrates ‘love, joy, time, movement, rhythm, life and death,’ and was inspired by the intensely romantic myth of Tristan and Isolde. Messiaen hoped to create both a ‘love song’ and a ‘hymn to joy.’ In Dutilleux’s vibrant Metaboles (1965), each movement deftly introduces the next - according to the composer, ‘you could compare it with the way tiles overlap on a roof.’ London Symphony Orchestra - Turangalila website.| 20 May 10 | Barbican Centre West End, Greater London Performance Details => Venue archive |
