Dr. Alejandro Rutty

Associate Professor of Music Composition

Turangalîla-symphonie : pour piano solo, onde Martenot solo et grand orchestre
by Olivier Messiaen

I first heard and studied Olivier Messiaen’s Turangalîla symphony when I was 20. In shock, I suddenly realized how much artistry, technique, imagination and obsessive hard work is necessary in order to create music at his level.

Turangalîla clearly sets the standard for symphonic writing. Still today, I shake my head in disbelief for what I think is one the most challenging, daring, and beautiful scores of the last hundred years. How many hours, days, months, did Messiaen spend fanatically working on every detail of such massive score?

This thought helps me avoid the temptation of not obsessing enough when composing my own music.