Gimeno Conducts Messiaen’s Epic Turangalîla

“It is a love song, a hymn to joy; love that is fatal, irresistible, transcending everything, suppressing everything outside; joy that is superhuman, overwhelming, blinding, unlimited”—this was Olivier Messiaen’s description for his epic and mind-blowing Turangalîla-symphonie. Scored for a colossal orchestra, and featuring powerhouse solo roles for both piano and ondes Martenot (an early theremin-like electronic instrument with an otherworldly sound), it’s equal parts mesmerizing, fearlessly imaginative, surreal, and ecstatic—and is quite possibly the most unique experience you’ll ever have in a concert hall. First recorded by the TSO in 1968, Gustavo Gimeno leads these once-in-a-lifetime concerts (and live-recording) at Roy Thomson Hall.