In a stunning acoustic alchemy between the orchestral colours and the ethereal, with the embodied magic of the voice, Ligeti’s exploration and Debussy’s symbolism prepare us for the aesthetic and mystical shock of the Turangalîla-Symphonie.

Ligeti’s Clocks and Clouds, characterised by rhythmic complexity, phonetic poetry, and the strangeness of the intervals, juxtaposes objective time (that of the clocks) with the poetic indeterminacy of clouds. Inspired by Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s Pre-Raphaelite poetry, La Demoiselle élue shows Debussy’s interest in mystical symbolism, still tinged with Wagnerian accents. Lastly, Messiaen’s monumental orchestral tapestry Turangalîla-Symphonie deploys its kaleidoscope of colours and rhythms, with its reminiscences of Wagner’s Tristan (‘Garden of Love’s Sleep’), frenetic dances, ecstatic states, wildly complex rhythmic stratifications, and hieratic motifs—an homage to Sanskrit poetry carried by the undulating magic of the ondes Martenot, and a total musical experience.