Damian Thompson Damian Thompson

A thrilling new recording of Messiaen’s Turangalila-Symphonie

Boulez called it 'brothel music' – but it's far from this in Gustavo Gimeno and the Toronto Symphony's rendition

issue 17 February 2024

Grade: A

Pierre Boulez once called Messiaen’s giant Turangalila-Symphonie ‘brothel music’. That was mean-spirited but you knew what he meant: a typical performance comes in at just under 80 minutes, much of it consisting of the B-movie sound of an ondes Martenot wailing over lush harmonies.

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