Pierre Boulez (1925-2016)

[ritter]

The Catalogue illustré de l'ouevre de Pierre Boulez arrived chez ritter on Saturday, two days after its release on March 27 by the Philharmonie de Paris

It's a handsome, profusely illustrated, 392-page hardcover book, with a total of 112 entries (including withdrawn or incomplete works, and with some inevitable duplication resulting from the "work-in-progress" approach Boulez had to most if his compositions).

The ordering is chronological, in seven sections covering different periods of the composer's career (each section has an appropriate title taken from Boulez's writings or compositions -- e.g., 1942-1945 falls under the heading Relevés d'apprenti).

Each work has a detailed description and comments, including a discography.

Certainly, an essential addition to the bibliography of Boulez, and a labor of love by editor Alain Galliari and all those involved.

[Louis]

IDK if someone mentioned it already but the BBC aired a new performance of "Pli selon Pli" for Boulez's birthday.

[San Antone]

Pierre Boulez : Pli selon pli (1957-1962)
BBC Symphony Orchestra



Boulez composed Improvisations I and II, for soprano and percussion ensemble, in 1957. In 1959 he wrote Improvisation III for soprano, instrumental ensemble and a large group of percussion, as well as Tombeau, for soprano and large orchestra.In 1960, he completed Don in a version for soprano and piano. In 1962, he rescored this movement for soprano and orchestra, and also rescored Improvisation I, completing the work in its initial form.
 (wiki)

Most of this information came from this source: Jameux, Dominique (1991), Pierre Boulez, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, ISBN 0-674-66740-9

[San Antone]

Interesting combination of late works for piano by Debussy bookended with two of Boulez's late works.




1. Pierre Boulez: Une page d'éphéméride (2005) 05:22
2. Claude Debussy: Etudes pour piano Livre II (1915): Pour les degrés chromatiques 02:19
3. Claude Debussy: Etudes pour piano Livre II (1915): Pour les agréments 05:27
4. Claude Debussy: Etudes pour piano Livre II (1915): Pour les notes répétées 03:20
5. Claude Debussy: Etudes pour piano Livre II (1915): Pour les sonorités opposées 05:38
6. Claude Debussy: Etudes pour piano Livre II (1915): Pour les arpèges composés 05:04
7. Claude Debussy: Etudes pour piano Livre II (1915): Pour les accords 04:51
8. Pierre Boulez: Incises (2001) 10:55

[Karl Henning]

I was there! Cool concert, and it was great to see the Webern symphony live, but I also wondered about that particular Schubert symphony being there. Edit: And, of course, it was amazing to see excerpts from Pli selon pli. I would love to see the complete work some day.

Very nice!

[ritter]

Cross-posted from the New Releases thread:

No cover art yet, and no online mentions that I can see yet, but the Catalogue illustré de l'oeuvre de Pierre Boulez (published last week) lists a (2025) release of piano music by Boulez performed by Ralph van Raat on Naxos, including the world premières of two peces of juvenilia (which were not available to the public until now), Trois Psalmodies and Thème et variations pour la main gauche. The disc will also include the short Fragment d'une ébauche (from 1987), which has been recorded previously by Dimitri Vassilakis and by Michael Wendeberg.

Raat had already recorded the early Prélude, toccata et scherzo (for Naxos, on a CD released in 2020).

[Papy Oli]

Arte advertised today in their newsletter a Boulez documentary on their website "Towards The unknown".

Had a quick glance, contributors include at least Aimard, Salonen, a French conductor I recognise but can't name...



https://www.arte.tv/en/videos/115573-000-A/pierre-boulez-towards-the-unknown/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=en

[Mandryka]

Arte advertised today in their newsletter a Boulez documentary on their website "Towards The unknown".

Had a quick glance, contributors include at least Aimard, Salonen, a French conductor I recognise but can't name...



https://www.arte.tv/en/videos/115573-000-A/pierre-boulez-towards-the-unknown/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=en

There's been a big series on France Culture, a retransmission, which I haven't heard

https://www.radiofrance.fr/franceculture/podcasts/les-nuits-de-france-culture/pierre-boulez-les-litterateurs-ont-montre-la-voie-aux-musiciens-dans-la-facon-d-etablir-un-recit-5614801

[ritter]

Arte advertised today in their newsletter a Boulez documentary on their website "Towards The unknown"...

It's rather well produced... Recommended!

...

Had a quick glance, contributors include at least Aimard, Salonen, a French conductor I recognise but can't name...

...

It's Xavier-François Roth.

[Mandryka]

Oublie signal lapidé