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Olivier MESSIAEN (1908-1992)
Turangalîla-Symphonie (1946-1948, rev. 1990)
Tamara Stefanovich (piano)
Thomas Bloch (ondes Martenot)
Nationaltheater-Orchester Mannheim/Alexander Soddy
rec. live, 11 & 12 November 2019, Rosengarten Mannheim, Mozartsaal
Reviewed as a 16-bit download
Pdf booklet included
OEHMS CLASSICS OC472 [78:25] 

I may have heard more performances of Messiaen’s massive, ten-movement Turangalîla-Symphonie than I can shake a maraca at, yet its distinctive rhythms, exotic colours and giddy scents are as alluring as ever. That said, I wasn’t really drawn to this new Oehms release, primarily because the performers and conductor were unknown to me. Then again, I’d never heard of the Spanish baton-waver Juanjo Mena until I took a punt on his Bergen Turangalîla (Hyperion). And what a revelation that was; indeed, the album was among my top picks for 2012.

Of the versions recorded before 1990, when Messiaen made some changes to the score, André Previn’s classic LSO performance, taped at Abbey Road in 1977, stands head and shoulders above all others. Superbly engineered by Christopher Parker, it also features the composer’s second wife, Yvonne Loriod on the piano, and her younger sister Jeanne on the ondes. (They would reprise these roles for Myung-Whun Chung in Paris thirteen years later.) The original LPs sounded excellent, although, as with so many EMI releases, the CDs seemed rather bright. However, the remaster, which I have on DVD-A, comes across best of all. And what an intense, incandescent reading it is, the quieter moves as seductive as it gets.

Among later recordings is Chung’s, with the Bastille Opera Orchestra, most recently repackaged as part of a very desirable Messiaen box (Deutsche Grammophon). I used that set as my comparative when reviewing Sylvain Cambreling’s equally impressive survey of Messiaen’s orchestral œuvre with the SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg/Sylvain (SWR Music). Both conductors offer excellent performances of the symphony (and much more besides). Alas, despite fine soloists - Angela Hewitt and Valérie Hartmann-Claverie - Hannu Lintu’s 2014 recording with the Finnish Radio simply isn’t competitive (Ondine).

I was certainly curious to hear what Alexander Soddy, a British-born conductor with a track record in opera, and his German orchestra would make of this quirky French masterpiece. First impressions are highly favourable, the introductory movement very well paced and played. The soundstage is wide and deep, the instrumental groups nicely arrayed from left to right. What is even more welcome is the focus on Messiaen’s trademark timbres, all of which emerge from the mix with startling clarity and naturalness. The Mannheim brass, full-bodied and beautifully blended, are a joy to behold, the percussion powerful but never overbearing. As for the soloists, Tamara Stefanovich on piano and Thomas Bloch on the ondes, I really like the way they’ve been integrated into the orchestral fabric, adding to the panoply of colours and textures. This is all underpinned by Robin Bös’s first-class engineering; indeed, I can hear none of the sonic compromises that so often blight a live recording. It helps that there’s no audience noise, either. In short, a most encouraging start to this concert.

The second movement, Chant d’amour, is suitably propulsive, the love theme on the ondes as enchanting as ever. Even more striking, Soddy is very much in control of his material. He’s keenly aware of the work’s nodal points - its unforgettable epiphanies - and, unlike his rivals, he allows one to appreciate just how artfully Messiaen pieces it all together. (Of course, it helps that the orchestra is well up to the mark. A reminder, if it were needed, that lesser-known ensembles can compete with their more illustrious counterparts.) Just listen to the fine woodwind playing and sinking bass figures at the start of Turangalîla 1, the interplay of soft plosive beats and growling brass perfectly judged. Ditto the piccolo and bassoon at the opening of Chant d’amour II, the piano as focused and weighty as it should be, the tam-tam and ondes efflorescing most beautifully in the tuttis.

At the halfway stage it’s clear this is a very accomplished and engaging Turangalîla, its manifold virtues revealed in ways I’d scarcely thought possible. For starters, Soddy’s reading may not be as febrile as Previn’s or as earthy as Mena’s, but he outshines them both when it comes to nuance and fine, oft-obscured detail. This, coupled with such a transparent recording, brings with it a rare sense of (re)discovery. (Goodness, even after all these years there’s still much to marvel at in this strange piece.)

As for Soddy’s Jardin du sommeil d’amour, it has a wonderful sense of evanescence - a rapt vision trembling on the edge of extinction, perhaps - that also plays to the talents and good taste of both soloists. They may not always be as seamless in their delivery as their more famous rivals, but the sheer musicality of their playing is never in doubt. Similarly, while Turangalîla II isn’t as excitable as some it’s still very compelling. That said, the Mannheim percussionists are simply marvellous, the crash cymbals especially so. (In fact, they all deserve a gong for their contributions to the success of this performance.) Next up is Développement d’amour, its various elements meshing very well indeed. Even though Previn and Mena generate more electricity at times, building cumulative tension as they go, Soddy’s more measured approach brings with it an airier, more expansive sound that should appeal to those who may find his rivals a tad overdriven.

Admittedly, as we enter the final stretch the gap between Soddy’s Turangalîla and those of his close competitors begins to widen. Still, the woodwind playing at the start of Turangalîla III is simply ravishing. Soddy’s broader, more ruminative approach is certainly more evident here, and some may feel that leads to a lessening of essential tension. (Perfectly understandable after a long and tiring night, I’d say.) Happily, the finale doesn’t disappoint, everyone at their thrilling, transported best. The rapturous applause at the close is well deserved.

A revealing, very competitive Turangalîla; fine playing and superior sonics, too.

Dan Morgan