Oramo conducts Turangalîla-Symphony

Chief Conductor Sakari Oramo takes on the utterly fascinating Turangalîla-Symphonie by Olivier Messiaen: a large-scale orchestral work from 1948, inspired by the myth of Tristan and Isolde. Messiaen himself called the richly hued music a love song, and the evocative title can be translated into a hymn about love, movement, life and death.

The ondes Martenot, an electronic instrument, plays an important role in the work and can be recognised by its ghostly tones. It is played here by Cynthia Millar, who has collaborated on over 100 performances of Turangalîla-Symphonie for 30 years! The piano part is played by Roland Pöntinen, one of our leading pianists and a frequent guest at Konserthuset Stockholm.

First we will hear music by Béla Bartók. The Viola Concerto from the year of his death, 1949, perhaps the best known viola concerto ever, will be performed by French Antoine Tamestit. He is a highly coveted soloist and chamber musician whose playing has been described as both refined and passionate. The Viola Concerto is beautifully illuminated by the heartfelt quality that permeated Bartók’s later compositions.