Gustavo Dudamel and Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela invest the Luxembourg Philharmonic to play Olivier Messiaen’s Turangalîlâ-Symphonie. They are joined in their performance by pianist Yuja Wang and ondist Cynthia Millar.

The Turangalîlâ-Symphony was premiered in December 1949 following a commission from Serge and Natalie Koussevitzky for the Boston Orchestra – for this premiere, the work was directed by Leonard Bernstein. Composed just after the Second World War, this symphony revolves around ten movements and four themes (flower, statue, love and chords). An architecture that fills the score with colors and contrasts. An abundant aspect announced from the title of the symphony since “turangalîlâ” is a Sanskrit word meaning “song of love, hymn to joy, time, movement, rhythm, life and death”. This wealth and the number of musicians necessary for its performance make the Turangalîlâ-Symphonie the most important orchestral work composed by Olivier Messaien.