Back at the Halle aux Grains in Toulouse for the opening concert of the 2025 – 26 season of the Orchestre national du Capitole de Toulouse under their Finnish conductor Tarmo Peltokoski.

Olivier Messiaen’s ‘Turangalîla-Symphonie’ is one of my favourite orchestral works to see live. It was written between 1946 and 1948, commissioned by Serge Koussevitzky for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and features a large orchestra with both piano and ondes Martenot. The ondes Martenot is a rarely-seen early electronic instrument that consists of a keyboard with a wire and ring attached which produce a wavering sound similar to a theremin. The sister-in-law of Messiaen, Jeanne Loriod, was the onde Martenot player in many performances and recordings of the Turangalila; in fact, I witnessed her performance the first time I saw the symphony in the 1981 – 82 season of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra with Simon Rattle conducting.

Tonight the onde Martenot was played by Cécile Lartigau and the piano by the celebrated French pianist Bertrand Chamayou. Cécile Lartigau, born in 1989, is a French musician who has performed all over the world and built up an international reputation as a leading player of the onde Martenot. Bertrand Chamayou was born in 1981 in Toulouse and has become renowned as a great interpreter of French music, particularly that of Maurice Ravel. He is the president and artistic director of the Festival Ravel in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, which I attended last month.

Cécile Lartigau and Bertrand Chamayou

Considering that it was the first concert of the season the orchestra were really together and in great form, which bodes well for the rest of the season; the woodwind, brass and percussion sections played particularly well this evening. On the onde Martenot, Cécile Lartigau performed with great feeling and precision, proving that she is indeed a leading interpreter on the instrument. Bertrand Chamayou was, as always, on great form and performed the demanding piano part wonderfully, especially the solo cadenzas.

This was an excellent opening to the 2025 – 26 season, one that makes me look forward to many more exciting concerts to come over the next year.

Olivier Messiaen ‘Turangalîla-Symphonie’.