Opening concert
Esa-Pekka Salonen
& Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra
with Bertrand Chamayou & Cécile Lartigau
Turangalîla – a modern masterpiece of joy and love.
The New York Times describes Esa-Pekka Salonen as a conductor at the pinnacle of his career, capable of doing anything, anywhere. Now, he comes to Bergen to conduct the Festival’s opening concert, featuring Olivier Messiaen’s Turangalîla-Symphonie and the 2026 Festival Musicians, the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra.
‘Esa-Pekka Salonen has been a superstar on the classical music scene for decades, with a deep and lasting influence as both composer and conductor,’ says Festival Director Lars Petter Hagen.
Salonen is celebrated for his profound musical insight and for bringing out the very best in the orchestras he collaborates with, including the Philharmonia Orchestra in London, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the San Francisco Symphony.
Salonen has lived with Turangalîla since he first encountered it as a child in Finland. The French composer Olivier Messiaen composed the work in 1948 as a tribute to life, joy, and love, drawing inspiration from the medieval tale of Tristan and Isolde.
The title Turangalîla is a blend of Sanskrit words: Lîla means both play and love, but also suggests a sense of divine intervention in the universe. Turanga stands for movement and rhythm, but also the passage of time. Messiaen wrote that Turangalîla means everything at once: a love song, a hymn to joy, time, movement, rhythm, life and death.
The colours, textures, rhythms, melodies and surprises of Turangalîla unfold with every phrase. Across ten movements, the piece breaks many of the conventions typically associated with the symphonic form.
The concert features two solo instruments: the piano, and the distinctive ondes Martenot, an early electronic keyboard instrument invented in 1928. More than 100 musicians will take to the stage for this spectacular musical experience.
Image on top: Esa-Pekka Salonen. Photo: Mika Ranta
Supported by
Sponsored by
Contributors
Esa-Pekka Salonen conductor
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra
Musicians from Bergen Philharmonic Youth Orchestra
Bertrand Chamayou piano
Cécile Lartigau ondes Martenot
Works
Richard Wagner (1813–1883)
From Tristan und Isolde, WWV90
Prelude
LiebestodOlivier Messiaen (1908–1992)
Turangalîla-Symphonie
Meet Esa-Pekka Salonen
Thursday 28 May, approx. 21:15 in Spissen, Grieghallen
After the concert, there will be a conversation between Festival director Lars Petter Hagen and Esa-Pekka Salonen, Artist in Residence and conducot of the opening concert featuring Turangalîla-Symphonie.
‘He is passionately committed to classical music’s role in society - how it can evolve, be renewed, and reach new audiences. A thinker, a visionary and a musical powerhouse of our time,’ says Hagen.
Admission: Included in the ticket to the concert on Thursday 28 May at 19:30. Get a free ticket for the talk here if you don't have a same day concert ticket.
Language: The conversation will be held in English
The talk is part of the Festival’s debate programme Ordskifte and is supported by Fritt Ord.
