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| Pierre Boulez at the Elbphilharmonie Pierre Boulez would have been 100 years old today. In honour of this milestone, the Elbphilharmonie pays homage to the visionary composer with eight concerts featuring some of his most important works in May and June 2025. Boulez was not only a groundbreaking innovator in music, but also one of the most influential conductors, music theorists and cultural figures of the 20th century. In the aftermath of World War II, he was uncompromising in his exploration of the possibilities and limits of musical forms – without ever deviating from his deep appreciation for the colourful aesthetics of his predecessors, Olivier Messiaen and Claude Debussy. A line-up of world-class performers – including Sir Antonio Pappano and the London Symphony Orchestra, the Vienna Philharmonic's cello section, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra under Sir Simon Rattle, a soloist ensemble led by mezzo-soprano Ema Nikolovska, and piano virtuoso Tamara Stefanovich – are set to delve into different facets of his work at the Elbphilharmonie. Tickets are available at www.elbphilharmonie.de. Kent Nagano and the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra take us right to the heart of Boulez's sound world with a performance of "Répons" – one of modern music's most complex and fascinating masterpieces, featuring a large ensemble, six soloists and instrumental sounds electronically modified in real time. Alongside Nagano and his orchestra, the IRCAM Institute – founded by Boulez himself in Paris and integral to many of his musical visions – also plays a role in the performance (1 & 2 May). Renowned pianist Tamara Stefanovich, known for her fearless approach to even the most challenging repertoire, takes on Boulez's notoriously difficult Piano Sonata No. 2 in the Elbphilharmonie Recital Hall. This work vividly embodies Boulez's belief that music is a form of "collective hysteria". It is paired with the tempestuous Piano Sonata No. 1 by the young Dmitri Shostakovich, written when he was just 19 years old. In the second half of the concert, Stefanovich joins her ensemble SDLW for a performance of new co-compositions by Stefanovich-Dell-Lillinger-Westergaard (8 May). Pierre Boulez catapulted himself to the forefront of music pioneers in 1955 with his chamber cantata "Le marteau sans maître". He took three surrealist poems by French composer René Char from his collection of the same name as the starting point for his composition for alto voice and six instruments. Rising stars like Ema Nikolovska and Sean Shibe present this work alongside compositions by the next, up-and-coming generation, including a newly commissioned work by Pulitzer Prize winner Tyshawn Sorey and "Bel Canto" by Cassandra Miller (31 May). Pierre Boulez's "Rituel in memoriam Bruno Maderna" was conceived as a tribute to a late friend, structured as a ritual act in sound. He reimagined the traditional orchestra by dividing it into eight groups of different sizes, from a solo oboe to a large brass ensemble. The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, led by chief conductor Sir Simon Rattle, bring this work to life, alongside Maurice Ravel's ballet music "Daphnis et Chloé" (1 June). Thomas Adès and the Vienna Philharmonic present Boulez's "Messagesquisse", a composition for solo cello and six accompanying cellos, together with works by Kurtág, Haydn, Janáček and Adès himself. Meanwhile, Igor Levit takes centre stage as the soloist in Adès' piano concerto at the Elbphilharmonie. The London Symphony Orchestra, under Sir Antonio Pappano, explores two of Boulez's most sensuous compositions, "Livre pour cordes" for string orchestra and "Mémoriale" for solo flute and ensemble, alongside music by Hector Berlioz (4 June). These works highlight Boulez's ability to weave delicate threads of sound, inviting listeners to relish in unexpected musical dimensions. The German radio broadcaster SWR has long been known as the home of modern music. Due to the fact that the station, its ensembles and studios offered him such a good, creative working environment, Pierre Boulez moved to Baden-Baden in the 1960s. The SWR Symphony Orchestra and the SWR Vokalensemble under the direction of François-Xavier Roth perform "Cummings ist der Dichter" at the Elbphilharmonie, based on a poem by E. E. Cummings, in addition to Boulez's first purely orchestral work, "Figures – Doubles – Prismes" and Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 9 (11 June). Pierre Boulez earned a reputation as a provocateur and an outspoken critic of the musical establishment. His controversial declarations, such as "Blow up the opera houses!" and "Schönberg is dead!", cemented his place in music history as a revolutionary force. Born in Montbrison, France, in 1925, Boulez emerged as the leading voice of a post-war generation that sought a radical new aesthetic beginning. His early compositions were defined by an unwavering pursuit of rationality and formal logic, making him the central pioneer of "serial" music – a method in which pitch, duration and volume were meticulously constructed to the last detail. Yet Pierre Boulez was far more than a strict formalist. He was a magician able to conjure delicate sound, a sought-after conductor, an astute intellectual and a warm-hearted teacher and patron. His curiosity extended to electronic music, where he played a pioneering role, while his deep involvement in French cultural life made him a powerful figure in shaping its artistic direction. write your comments about the article :: © 2025 Jazz News :: home page |