Messiaen: Turangalîla-Symphonie

French composer Olivier Messiaen described his 75-minute Turangalîla-Symphonie as “a love song, a hymn to joy”, and it places exceptional demands on any orchestra playing it. Enter the Boston Symphony, who premiered the work in 1949, and whose live performances of it 75 years later fed into this recording. The quality of the orchestra’s playing under conductor Andris Nelsons is outstanding in all 10 movements. The opulent surge of upper strings in “Chant d’amour 2” (“Love Song 2”), and their soft sensuality in “Jardin du sommeil d’amour” (“Garden of the Sleep of Love”), are two standout moments. The sizzle of the vast percussion section at the symphony’s conclusion, and the bacchanalian “Joie du sang des étoiles” (“Joy of the Blood of Stars”)—complete with the weirdly whooping ondes Martenot, played here by Cécile Lartigau—are also viscerally exciting. Turangalîla also has a prominent part for piano, and Yuja Wang is star casting in the role, the twinkling bird-solos in “Turangalîla 2” typifying her glinting contribution.