WGBH Radio WGBH Radio theclassicalstation.org

Messiaen: Turangalila-Symphonie / Chailly, Concertgebouw


Release Date: 08/02/1993 
Label:  Decca   Catalog #: 436626   Spars Code: DDD 
Composer:  Olivier Messiaen
Performer:  Jean-Yves Thibaudet,  Takashi Harada
Conductor:  Riccardo Chailly
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Number of Discs: 1 
Recorded in: Stereo 
Length: 1 Hours 16 Mins. 

In Stock: Usually ships in 24 hours.  

This CD is reissued by ArkivMusic.

Notes and Editorial Reviews

Chailly's interpretation is thrilling, sensational. This unprecedented score has never been unleashed with greater panache than it is here.

Having discussed the virtues of Turangalila-symphonies past and present in the light of Myung-Whun Chung's hitherto uniquely economical version, I can confirm that [this recording] continue[s] the trend to streamlined articulation and faster speeds. For many readers Riccardo Chailly's sensational recording will be an obvious first choice. Decca's sound is brilliant, detailed and just a little airless, emphasizing the Concertgebouw's astonishing unanimity of attack. (Both engineers and musicians are perhaps less preoccupied with achieving a real pianissimo.) The soloists are closely Read more balanced—not unacceptably so—but this does again serve to exaggerate the impersonal, mechanistic aspects of Messiaen's writing. Let's be clear: I have never heard this unprecedented score unleashed with greater panache than it is here. Chailly's interpretation is thrilling; it can also be brutal. If you hear the beautiful "Jardin du sommeil d'amour" as the sublime heart of a quasi-religious hymn to earthly life and love, this is not the performance for you. Jean-Yves Thibaudet has an astounding technique, but his tone remains rather hard and unvaried even here and Chailly's straightforward rendition sounds almost cavalier beside Rattle's rapt and delicate treatment. For Chailly, you suspect, this is no more than a decorative interlude in a fabulous orchestral showpiece. In "Turangalila I", there is no hint of Gallic insouciance in the bass, although "Chant d'amour II" is witty enough at the start. Yes, Chailly is supremely efficient; ultra-sensitive he is not. He also has a questionable penchant for holding on to climactic chords for what seems like an eternity, most outrageously at the very end of the "Final"... Whether Chailly's single CD contains the definitive presentation of the work's 'symphonic' tensions and contrasts I am inclined to doubt, but—my goodness—hear him you must!

-- Gramophone [11/1993]
Read less

Works on This Recording

1. Turangalîla-Symphonie by Olivier Messiaen
Performer:  Jean-Yves Thibaudet (Piano), Takashi Harada (Ondes Martenot)
Conductor:  Riccardo Chailly
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1946-1948; France 
 Date of Recording: 03/1992 
Venue:  Grotezaal, Concertgebouw, Amsterdam 
Length: 76 Minutes 36 Secs. 
Notes: rev edit 

Customer Reviews

Be the first to review this title
Review This Title
Review This Title Share on Facebook