Rave reviews for CUMS I's Turangalîla-Symphonie
CUMS I's recent performance of Messiaen's Turangalîla-Symphonie has been hailed as "spectacular" and "a great achievement" in the press.
Varsity
Turangalîla-Symphonie
CUMS I Orchestra
Guest Conductor Baldur Brönnimann
5 stars
CUMS' performance of Messiaen's 'Turangalîla-Symphonie' was spectacular. This notoriously difficult piece was a huge and risky undertaking for the University's first orchestra; they responded with a performance which was not only competent but which overshadowed every previous success I have heard. Great credit must go to the guest conductor, Baldur Brönnimann, who provided understated and yet appropriately passionate direction in a piece where an audience can frequently be left bewildered by Messiaen's notoriously inconsistent metrical movement.
Messiaen's music, and particularly this symphony, can in so many performances seem impenetrable, as if the composer had embedded a meaning in the score which only he could fathom. Inspired by widespread influences, including bird-song, Serialism and Indonesian percussion, Messiaen's particular inspiration for the 'Turangalîla-Symphonie' was the myth of Tristan and Isolde; asked to explain the structure of the symphony, Messaien simply replied, 'It's a love song.'
One hundred years after his birth - the concert formed part of an ongoing celebration of Messiaen's centenary - this statement has never been wholly reconciled with the score. CUMS, however, provided a performance which brought together the thoroughly disparate moods of the ten movements. The melodic luxury of the sixth, 'Jardin du sommeil d'amour', for instance, was skillfully and uncomfortably juxtaposed with the jolting representation of pain and death in the seventh, 'Turangalîla 2'; the orchestra seemed to feel the violence of the latter precisely because of the tranquillity it follows.
A mark of the success of this performance was that the esteemed professionals on the piano and the Ondes Martenot never seemed superior to the orchestra; and the soloists, particularly pianist Matthew Schellhorn, were excellent. CUMS have set themselves a benchmark they will struggle to maintain, but they certainly treated their audience to a performance to be cherished.
Toby Chadd
www.oliviermessiaen.org
Messiaen in Cambridge
5 March 2008, West Road Concert Hall
Turangalîla Symphonie
CUMS 1 Orchestra - Matthew Schellhorn piano - Jacques Tchamkerten Ondes Martenot - Baldur Brönnimann Guest conductor.
When the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain tackled Turangalîla Symphonie at the 2001 Proms to much deserved acclaim, we all marvelled at how an orchestra made up of people no older than 19 years of age could bring so much musicality, verve and excitement to this work in the midst of, it has to be said, some rather workman like performances presented by some seasoned professional orchestras around this time.
It is generally accepted that NYO is the cream of our musical youth with the highest standards of teaching and coaching, so could any other aspiring young person's ensemble achieve such standards? The answer is most definitely 'yes' as was experienced by the Cambridge University Musical Society (CUMS) concert at West Road Concert Hall.
Baldur Brönnimann directed with authority if lacking a little dynamism and ensemble, after some slight shaky moments during movement two, gained cohesion and confidence.
There was plenty of power when needed despite the somewhat reduced numbers in some sections. Messiaen specifies (rather optimistically!) for example 10 double basses rather than the 7 here although there was no loss of bottom right from the opening bars in the lower strings. The woodwind section was clear, bright and well articulated especially the capricious bassoon and piccolo in Chant d'amour 2 and the clarinets positively blossomed in the 'flower theme' with beautiful tone and control. Only the brass section suffered a little from depletion and the stratospheric D trumpet was missed in the climactic bar before the final Très lent of the Final. Special mention should be made of the percussion section who in a restricted and confined space covered everything with great aplomb.
Soloists Matthew Schellhorn and Jacques Tchamkerten are becoming quite a 'team' now and who wouldn't want this pair as part of any Messiaen 'team'? Matthew began the evening's proceedings with a lucid and fact packed presentation of the Symphonie that concluded with Jacques Tchamkerten introducing the Ondes Martenot with both Matthew and Jacques performing a few bars of Jardin du sommeil d'amour demonstrating how sensitive Jacques Tchamkerten is as a player and the Ondes Martenot is as an instrument.
Matthew Schellhorn's total command of this virtuoso piano part was never more aptly apparent than in the cadenza at the end of Joie du sang des étoiles - totally breathtaking!
This was a special evening for CUMS and one that all involved should be proud and hold dear to their hearts for a long time. A great achievement.