‘Brussels Philharmonic & Kazushi Ono’

With his Turangalîla Symphonie, Olivier Messiaen composed a breathtaking and imposing work inspired by the myth of Tristan and Isolde. Triumphant, flashy, passionate, unexpected – the composer pulls out all the stops and shares his strong belief in the supreme power of erotic love. The name "turangalîla" is an amalgamation of two words from Sanskrit, each representing a core concept of Messiaen's aesthetics: "turanga" stands for time, movement and rhythm; "lila" denotes play –  but the divine "play" of life and death, of creation and demise. With a leading role for percussion, a flamboyant piano solo and the use of ‘Ondes Martenot‘ – an electronic keyboard avant la lettre – the huge orchestral apparatus creates a veritable sound delirium. A magical experience.