Turangalîla

June 1, 2025 11:00 a.m.
June 2, 2025 8:00 p.m.
Historical City Hall, Wuppertal

Olivier Messiaen's ten-movement Turangalîla Symphony is a monumental feat: The already gigantic orchestra with its lush percussion is joined by an almost outrageously difficult piano part, the ethereal sounds of the "heavenly" celesta, and the ondes martenot – an exotic electronic instrument whose ethereal sounds will be particularly familiar to science fiction fans. In this symphony Oliver Messiaen uninhibitedly revels in the exotic with music that is sometimes reminiscent of Indian talas and Indonesian gamelan orchestras. Because this work is so complex, so powerful, and so different, General Music Director Patrick Hahn has come up with something special: "We are planning a moderated introduction on stage with the orchestra in the first part, so that the audience can immerse themselves even more deeply in this work." In the second part, Messiaen's symphony will then be performed in its entirety –  an even more intense listening experience.

Furthermore, hardly any other composer has incorporated birds into his work as extensively as Olivier Messiaen. He was deeply interested in ornithology, collecting bird songs while traveling, and incorporating these inspirations into his works: sometimes in a more concrete way, sometimes in a more stylized and idealized way. To draw attention to the many birds, whose survival is increasingly threatened by the destruction of their habitat and food supply (e.g., through monocultures and insect extinction), the German Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU Wuppertal) is a guest of the Wuppertal Symphony Orchestra as a cooperation partner.

Featuring:

Joonas Ahonen, piano
Thomas Bloch, ondes martenot
Nick-Martin Sternitzke, moderation

Sinfonieorchester Wuppertal
Patrick Hahn, conductor