Gramophone – September 2019

gramophone.co.uk GRAMOPHONESEPTEMBER 2019103

rhythmsandconceptswithaEuropeanorchestralapparatus,butLili

Boulangerinoneofherfinalworksdeterminedtocreateasimilar

marriageofEastandWest.Sheworkedonthissensuousincantation

fortenor,chorusandorchestrathroughouttheFirstWorldWar,

probablywithoutknowingcontemporaryworksofsimilarlyerotic

opulencebySzymanowskisuchasTheLoveSongsofHafiz(1911).

●JulianPodgertenMonteverdiCh;LSO/ JohnEliotGardiner(DG,11/02)

ScriabinPrometheus(1910)MessiaenandScriabinsharednot

onlysynaesthesia–associatingcolourswithwordsandsounds

andconcepts–butalsotheskillofputtingittotheserviceof

anopulentharmonicpalette.Theondesmartenothadyettobe

invented(in1928),soScriabinmadedowitha‘colourorgan’

(aswellasaconcertantepianopart)whichwouldharmonise

therestofthescorewithalightdisplay.Somehowinevitably,

thetaskofconductingthepremierefelltoKoussevitzky,

inMoscowinMarch1911.

●AnatolUgorskipfChicagoSymChor&Orch/ PierreBoulez(DG)

FouldsThreeMantras(1930)CloserinscaletoTurangalîlathan

theVieilleprièrebutofsimilar,all-encompassingambition,the

MantrasareallthatremainofFoulds’sotherwisediscardedand

destroyedSanskritoperaAvatara(1919-30).Theyshowhisfusion

ofWesternmodernismandIndiantechniquesatitsmostpotent.

Thehigh-speed,polytonalthrillrideofNo1,theraptmysticism

ofNo 2 (completewithHolstianfemalechorus)andthe

rhythmicallycomplex,raga-likeNo 3 makeabriefbutcompelling

claimforFouldsasanEnglishMessiaenwhoafterallsettledin

Indiaforthelastfouryearsofhislife.

●CityofBirminghamYouthChor;CBSO/ SakariOramo(Warner,A/04)

2 Models

WagnerTristanundIsolde(1859)Messiaenhimselfremained

secretiveabouthismethods(notwithoutreason),butanewwave

ofcontemporaryscholarshaspickedoverhisscoresandfound

borrowingseverywhere.Notthatamusicalmicroscopeisneeded

tohearthelovethemefromTristanundIsoldewritlargeinthe

sixthmovementofTurangalîla:Messiaentalkedlaterabouthis

suppressedrelationshipwithLoriodintermsofWagnerand

hisTristanmuseMathildeWesendonck.

●Soloists;ViennaStateOpera/ ChristianThielemann(DG,8/04)

JolivetCinqdansesrituelles(1939)Messiaenalsolifted

asequencefromMana(1935),apianosuitebyhiscontemporary

Jolivet,astheharmonicbasisofTurangalîla’sopeningmovement.

Jolivet’sownritualdancesalsoexploreapost-Debussian,post-

Stravinskianlandscape–nolessmysticalinmoodorAsianin

characterthanTurangalîla,butwithlusherorchestrationand

riperharmonies.No 3 isanangularmarriagedancethatsupplied

Messiaenwithaharmonicformulathathereusedthroughoutthe

1940sand’50s,thoughnotinTurangalîla.

●FrenchNationalRadioOrchestra/ AndréJolivet(Erato,4/71R)

3 Sequels

MessiaenCinqrechants(1948)TheinfluenceofIndianculture

isevenmorepowerfulinthisacappellaconclusiontotheTristan

trilogy.MessiaenintegratedbothrealandfakeSanskritwordsand

syllableswithinFrenchtexts,allchosenmoreforthesoftnessor

theviolenceoftheirattackthanforsemanticpurposes.Wemight

thinkaboutthepieceintermsofbothPicasso’scubismandthe

LichtvisionsofMessiaen’spupilStockhausen–asinventing

anentirelynewvocabularyfromfamiliarmeans.

●SWRVokalensembleStuttgart/ RupertHuber(Hänssler)

MessiaenDescanyonsauxétoiles...(1974)AnAmerican

commissionandaworkingholidayinUtahpromptedthissequel

toTurangalîla.Messiaenslimmeddowntheorchestrawhile

expandingthescale(to 12 movements)andincreasingthe

prominenceofconcertantepartsforpianoandtunedpercussion.

HeretainsTurangalîla’sformaldevelopment,withanapexof

ecstasyreachedamongthesandstonerocksofBryceCanyon,

beforehisgazeturnsbothinwardsandupwardsinanother

longeroticmelisma:alovesongoffulfilmentforYvonne?

●Soloists;Asko/Schoenberg/HaguePercussionensembles/

ReinbertdeLeeuw(Naive,4/95)

4 Successors

Ohana T’Harân-Ngô (1974) Incantation, dance and rite form the

structural scaffolding of Turangalîla more than the conventions of

symphonic technique. So it is with this brilliantly scored, thrilling

18-minute ceremonial by Messiaen’s close contemporary Ohana.

Born in Casablanca, Ohana draws on African rather than Indian

music and culture to evoke earth, fire, water and primeval energy.

More explicitly indebted to The Rite of Spring, T’Harân-Ngô is the

perfect chaser to the more glutinous moments of Turangalîla.

● Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra / Arturo Tamayo (Timpani)

Birtwistle Earth Dances (1986) The UK premiere of Turangalîla

took place in April 1954, conducted by Walter Goehr, and Sir Peter

Maxwell Davies recalled the broadcast as ‘one of the formative

musical experiences of my life’. Actually present at the Royal Festival

Hall in London was his fellow Manchester student Sir Harrison

Birtwistle, who entered the hall as Goehr was rehearsing the

percussive rite of ‘Développement de l’amour’: ‘an absolute magical

moment’ for him. Messiaen’s superimposition of rhythmic layers,

as well as his orchestration, exercise a potent influence on the

six geological ‘strata’ of Birtwistle’s own eruptive orchestral rite.

● Cleveland Orchestra / Christoph von Dohnányi (Argo, 8/07)

Available to stream at Qobuz, Apple Music and Spotify

WHAT NEXT?

Where will Messiaen lead you? From Haydn to Birtwistle, we oer some suggestions

PHOTOGRAPHY:

HORST P. HORST/GETTY IMAGES