Messiaen: Turangalîla Symphony – review

Two formidable Messiaen interpreters – pianist Steven Osborne and ondes Martenot player Cynthia Millar – give this exciting new recording of the Turangalîla Symphony (1948) a stamp of authority and flair. Osborne has proved versatile in any repertoire, especially Beethoven and Ravel, but his 2002 disc of Messiaen's Vingt regards sur l'enfant Jésus remains a winner. Millar, too, is the musician of choice for the ondes, that early electronic instrument which gives the symphony its voluptuous, unearthly qualities. Juanjo Mena and the Bergen Philharmonic prove adventurous collaborators.