Take Note preconcert talk at 7:00 p.m. with Neal Gittleman in the Mead Theatre
MESSIAEN Turangalîla Symphony
NEAL GITTLEMAN conductor
MICHAEL CHERTOCK piano
ESTELLE LEMIRE ondes Martenot
DAYTON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
Neal’s Notes: Click below to learn so much more about this exciting symphony from Neal’s perspective. He walks us through the ten movements of this complex work, its unique instrumentation, and his affinity for Messiaen and this Turangalîla Symphony:
Turangalîla Symphony – Neal’s Notes
The mind-blowing Turangalîla Symphony is ecstatic, otherworldly, and completely original. A devout and steadfast faith inspired all of Messiaen’s music. Turangalîla is a vast, beautiful, cinematic canvas dedicated to love, life, joy, death, and eternity. “I am convinced that joy exists,” Messiaen once said, “convinced that the invisible exists more than the visible, and that joy is beyond sorrow, and beauty is beyond horror.”
Joining the DPO to present this challenging yet masterful work by Olivier Messiaen are guest musicians Estelle Lemire and Michael Chertock. Michael Chertock is currently chair of the Piano Department at University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. The Boston Globe has called his playing “unmannered, zestful, and lovely,” and the Cincinnati Enquirer has described it as “intelligent and disciplined…noble…finely finished…expressive and well-controlled.” He will be the piano soloist for this performance.
Estelle Lemire graduated from the Conservatoire de musique du Québec in Montréal and is currently the ondes Martenot teacher at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal, the only class of its kind in North America. She is considered one of the world’s leading musicians on the ondes Martenot and will be playing this unique instrument for this performance.
For the seventh year in a row, Dayton Performing Arts Alliance is pleased to partner with the University of Dayton and its unique and innovative Arts Immersion initiative. All first-year students at the University of Dayton enrolled in a Humanities Commons course will attend a performance of Messiaen’s Turangalîla as their Arts Immersion Experience for the 2019–2020 academic year. To further enhance learning and engage students, University faculty teaching Humanities Commons courses will incorporate aspects of the performance through the lens of their disciplines and into their courses.
It’s no exaggeration to say that most classical music lovers may hear Turangalîla Symphony but once in their lives. Make this your once-in-a-lifetime concert!
Erma R. and Hampden W. Catterton Endowed Guest Artists | Estelle Lemire and Michael Chertock, soloists
Dayton Philharmonic Volunteer Association – Masterworks Series Sponsor
DP&L Foundation – DPAA Innovation Partner – Powering Innovation in the Performing Arts
Bob Ross Auto Group – Official Automobile Dealership of the DPO
Marriott University of Dayton – Official Hotel of the DPO
Generous Annual Support
