Turangalîla was a teenage discovery for me too – never having had the stomach for anything more avant-garde than Shostakovich previously, I nevertheless borrowed a double LP of the Previn recording from the local library on a whim and, to my immense surprise, loved it. That said, its influence on my listening habits was considerably less immediate that it was with you, Simon – the seed that this formative experience sowed didn’t properly flower until my 30s.
Interesting you mention Shostakovich, Chris, as he was one of the other composers i was immersed in during those sixth form years. In fact, during my interview for music college, one of the professors asked me to discuss who i thought were significant 20th century composers, and it was Messiaen and Shostakovich that i went with. i wouldn’t go with them now – but it clearly worked in my interview 🙂
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Turangalîla was a teenage discovery for me too – never having had the stomach for anything more avant-garde than Shostakovich previously, I nevertheless borrowed a double LP of the Previn recording from the local library on a whim and, to my immense surprise, loved it. That said, its influence on my listening habits was considerably less immediate that it was with you, Simon – the seed that this formative experience sowed didn’t properly flower until my 30s.
Interesting you mention Shostakovich, Chris, as he was one of the other composers i was immersed in during those sixth form years. In fact, during my interview for music college, one of the professors asked me to discuss who i thought were significant 20th century composers, and it was Messiaen and Shostakovich that i went with. i wouldn’t go with them now – but it clearly worked in my interview 🙂