Pierre Boulez (1925-2016)

[Karl Henning]

I still think the "Boulez composes Godot" story was a lark, which has just taken on an amusing life of its own (underscoring its point).

[San Antone]

I am assuming "2105" is a typo.  Although that would allow Boulez enough time to complete the work.  And revise it several times.

[Ken B]

Fans awaiting Godot. This makes no-one but Karl suspicious?

[Karl Henning]

By Pierre "Pozzo" Boulez.

[(poco) Sforzando]

I've always been skeptical that Boulez would ever write an opera (on Godot or anything else), one reason being that he's a notoriously slow worker who insists on constant revising, and an opera is less open to revision because of the fixed nature of the libretto. Boulez's vocal works have also been primarily for female voices, and it would be hard to imagine him writing a lengthy work for four males (with the likely addition of a boy soprano). Besides, what kind of libretto would have been created on Godot? Most likely it would have been from the original French text, but would the Chaplinesque comic vaudeville of the text lend itself to Boulez's style? Boulez is many things, but funny he's not. Even the most obviously operatic section, Lucky's extended monologue in Act One, would at the least pose major problems of compression.

As a friend wrote me, "Boulez has wanted to write an opera at least since he saw the première of Genet's The Screens in the early 60's. Genet even told Playboy he was going to do the libretto at the time, but Genet didn't actually embark on a libretto until he was persuaded to write one by Chéreau in the early 80's. Boulez was underwhelmed by the sketches Genet came up with, which became moot when Genet died." Genet's plays seem more obviously suitable for operatic treatment than Beckett's, but given that Les Paravents has been rarely produced, calls for a huge cast, and is usually cut heavily, again the problem of creating a libretto seems very difficult.

Again from the same friend, and I believe this is a quotation from Boulez: "Some like, let's say, Beckett (who is, I think, a theatrical genius), have a very strong visual imagination but put it all into the text, so that there is no room for anything else. The text has all its significance by itself and there is no empty space." 

Of course. Beckett's theatrical and verbal rhythms are often so precise (and concise) that it's hard to imagine what more could be added by any music. The ending of the play, in both French and English:

VLADIMIR: Relève ton pantalon. / Pull on your trousers.
ESTRAGON: Comment? / What?
VLADIMIR: Relève ton pantalon. / Pull on your trousers.
ESTRAGON: Que j'enlève mon pantalon? / You want me to pull off my trousers?
VLADIMIR: RE-lève ton pantalon. / Pull ON your trousers.
ESTRAGON:  C'est vrai. / True.
VLADIMIR:  Alors, on y va? / Well? Shall we go?
ESTRAGON:  Allons-y. / Yes, let's go. (They do not move.)

And how could Boulez or anyone else "compose" the drollest section of the play, the extended pantomime with the hat in Act Two?

[North Star]

There's Boulez all over for you, blaming on his boots the faults of his feet.  0:)

[Cato]

Boulez's Rituel and the Originel from "...explosante-fixe...," .

One of the greatest works in his oeuvre, and in my opinion one that would seem to be highly "accessible" for the usual audiences, and also attractive to younger ones.

[North Star]

One of the greatest works in his oeuvre, and in my opinion one that would seem to be highly "accessible" for the usual audiences, and also attractive to younger ones.

...explosante-fixe... or Rituel?

[(poco) Sforzando]

One of the greatest works in his oeuvre, and in my opinion one that would seem to be highly "accessible" for the usual audiences, and also attractive to younger ones.

Tomorrow (April 19) at 3pm, David Robertson conducts the Juilliard Orchestra in Rituel at NYC's Avery Fisher Hall.

[Karl Henning]

Tomorrow (April 19) at 3pm, David Robertson conducts the Juilliard Orchestra in Rituel at NYC's Avery Fisher Hall.

Cool.

[Cato]

...explosante-fixe... or Rituel?

I was focused on the former, but the same could with little difficulty be said for the latter as well.

[(poco) Sforzando]

David Robertson Leads the Juilliard Orchestra
Juilliard Orchestra
Sunday, April 19, 3:00pm
David Robertson conducts at Avery Fisher Hall.

This was a very fine concert, with a well-conceived and beautifully executed program that started with Debussy and Stravinsky and thus traced some important roots of Boulez's style. Indeed, in Rituel Robertson acted more like a traffic cop, just setting each of the groups in motion, than our usual idea of a conductor. I must say this performance of the piece was much more secure and impressive than the NYPhil under Alan Gilbert in the excessively reverberant Park Avenue Armory a couple of years ago. Nothing scares these Juilliard kids. And this piece, rather uncharacteristic of Boulez in its steady pulse and clearly defined motifs, could turn out to be one of his most popular. The concert was well-attended, and the audience seemed to love it.

[Karl Henning]

Splendid.

[(poco) Sforzando]

Nice .. the audience .. various ages? Or mostly older folk?

A good mix as far as I could see.

[ritter]

Cross-posted from the New Releases thread:

This has just appeared in France. The Diotima Quartet playing Boulez's "revised" Livre pour quatuor (on the Megadisc label):


http://www.megadisc-classics.com/album/pierre-boulez-livre-pour-quatuor-r%C3%A9vis%C3%A9

[Mandryka]

I saw a Boulez exhibition today at the Cité de la Musique in Paris. Well worth the visit. Two memorable things were a dance accompaniment to Marteau sans Maître, and a presentation by Boulez of In Memoriam Bruno M. Some of the things he had to say about Early music and about setting words also.

One surprise was that the curators made so little of his relationship with Stockhausen.

[ritter]

I saw a Boulez exhibition today at the Cité de la Musique in Paris. Well worth the visit. Two memorable things were a dance accompaniment to Marteau sans Maître, and a presentation by Boulez of In Memoriam Bruno M. Some of the things he had to say about Early music and about setting words also.

One surprise was that the curators made so little of his relationship with Stockhausen.

Nice! I think today was the last day it was open to the public. I coudn't make it to Paris to see it, but do have the catalogue (which is full of interesting documents)...

[Mandryka]

Who in France is writing modernist music in the Boulez style today? Who picks up the mantle?

Clearly not Grisey etc. Their music is too just sensual.

[Karl Henning]

You think Boulez's music is not sensual?

[San Antone]

Who in France is writing modernist music in the Boulez style today? Who picks up the mantle?

Clearly not Grisey etc. Their music is too just sensual.

Marc-Andre Dalbavie and Pascal Dusapin come to mind.  Neither's music sounds "like" Boulez, but both might be considered carrying forward Boulez's priorities.