Turangalîla Tickets

Australian conductor Simone Young returns to lead the LA Phil in Olivier Messiaen’s epic and gripping symphony. The Washington Post said Young has a “handle on grandeur—how to grow, manage, sustain and tame it,” which is a trait needed for Messiaen’s near 80-minute “more is more” symphony. Inspired by the tragic romance of Tristan and Isolde, Turangalîla-symphonie is an orchestral tour-de-force that is at times carnal, at others mystical, and always leans into transcendent excess. Young weaves together sounds of bird song and imposing pre-colonial Mexican statues, punctuated by massive brass and percussion, the eerie electronic hum of an ondes martenot, and special lighting effects that nod to the composer’s synesthesia—all coming together for Messiaen’s sweeping expression of all-consuming love.