# RIP Pierre Boulez



## Guest (Jan 6, 2016)

Just read the sad news that Pierre Boulez has passed away.
http://www.liberation.fr/direct/ele...chef-dorchestre-pierre-boulez-est-mort_28000/


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## shadowdancer (Mar 31, 2014)

I was just starting a thread about it as well. In my humble opinion, the greatest composer alive (till today):
In german: http://www.zeit.de/kultur/musik/2016-01/pierre-boulez-tot-dirigent-komponist


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## Janspe (Nov 10, 2012)

This is indeed sad news, if not wholly unexpected - he was an old man, after all. Rest in peace, monsieur! He was (and remains) my favourite conductor, and his compositions fascinate me quite a bit. I think listening to his recordings today is in order.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

R.I.P.

By sheer coincidence I just played this one earlier today:

View attachment 79867


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## Vronsky (Jan 5, 2015)

Rest in peace. Great composer & conductor.


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## D Smith (Sep 13, 2014)

What a full life he led. RIP. Many of his recordings remain my favourite interpretations of a particular work.


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## Biwa (Aug 3, 2015)

Thanks for all the fantastic music!!

RIP.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/01/0...ies-90.html?referer=https://www.google.co.jp/


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## MrTortoise (Dec 25, 2008)

What a huge loss, there have been so few musicians with such incredible talent and drive.


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

A fascinating and sometimes infuriating musician and composer. I have always thought that turning to Boulez after Bernstein retired was the gutsiest thing the NY Phil ever did -- even if not everything he did worked out.


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## ribonucleic (Aug 20, 2014)

D Smith said:


> What a full life he led.


There's a saying: It's a not a tragedy when a man dies at the end of his life.

Au revoir, Maestro.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

One of the crummier things about getting older is all of your heroes pass away. 2015/2016 has been a tough year in that regard. I am glad I discovered his music as not only palatable but fascinating to me while he was living.


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## TurnaboutVox (Sep 22, 2013)

By coincidence I am listening to him conduct 'The Firebird' as I come across the various Boulez RIP threads and posts. Rest in peace indeed, Maestro.

And luckily he has left a very substantial recorded legacy by which we will remember him in awe and with pleasure.


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## GioCar (Oct 30, 2013)

Arguably the greatest living composer till yesterday.

Tuesday, 5th of January 2016. A day I won't forget.


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## Guest (Jan 6, 2016)

RIP, "an exemplary man of the future."

I was already just about to listen to my latest classical purchase, Ligeti conducted by Boulez.


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## Mahlerian (Nov 27, 2012)

I am sorry to see him go, especially after such a triumph as the celebrations of his 90th year. I wonder if the world of music realizes how much it has lost.


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## Eramirez156 (Mar 25, 2015)

I was fortunate enough to have attended a number of CSO concerts that Boulez conducted, he will be sorely missed. From the CSO blog

https://csoarchives.wordpress.com/tag/boulez-90/

https://csoarchives.wordpress.com/2016/01/05/125-moments-032-boulezs-notations-vii/


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## Vasks (Dec 9, 2013)

The first time I saw him in person he was conducting an "open" orchestral rehearsal of something like Webern's "Five Pieces, Op.10" or Berg's "Three Pieces, Op.6". He stopped at one spot and said the intonation was not right. Now to these (my) ears it sounded fine but he zeroed in on one specific violinist, had that person adjust ever so slightly and lo & behold the chord DID sound better. At that moment I realized just how amazing a musician he was.


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## Polyphemus (Nov 2, 2011)

Sad at his passing but he has left us a legacy of music and recordings for which we should be thankful.


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## Stirling (Nov 18, 2015)

RIP Boulez, the you would not any do in your prime.


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## Guest (Jan 6, 2016)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03dq79z

...various Boulez from the BBC Radio 3 archive

(will be updated)


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## Radames (Feb 27, 2013)

I never got to see him conduct in a concert.


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## isorhythm (Jan 2, 2015)

Thanks for everything, M. Boulez. Hardly a week goes buy when I don't listen to one of your records.


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## Chronochromie (May 17, 2014)

Just saw this. How sad. I was beginning to get into his music since I heard Répons a month ago and it's now one of my favorite works.
Rest in peace.


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## OldFashionedGirl (Jul 21, 2013)

Now he's playing music with Schoenberg in heaven.


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## Vaneyes (May 11, 2010)

Visionary. R.I.P.


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## PeterFromLA (Jul 22, 2011)

The passing of Pierre Boulez represents the severing of one of the last living links to the vitality and heart of 20th century classical music history. Witnessing a Pierre Boulez-led concert meant being in the presence of that history, still unfolding, and I mourn this great musician's passing. It was an honor to meet him, first in Cleveland in 2004 or so, the last time in Chicago in 2011 or so. In concert, the orchestral works of Stravinsky, Debussy, Bartok, Schoenberg.... and even Ligeti's and Boulez's own music became breathtakingly alive under his guidance. RIP, Maestro Boulez.


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## aleazk (Sep 30, 2011)

My respects to one of the most amazing musicians (both as a composer and conductor) of the 20th century.


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## omega (Mar 13, 2014)

A major composer and conductor. May he rest in peace.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

I can only echo the sentiments here. His rich legacy in terms of his contribution to the post-WWII musical world both on and off the podium will endure in the way that Bernstein's has.


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## Bayreuth (Jan 20, 2015)

Wow. I was listening to Mahler's Tragic Symphony conducted by Boulez when I read about his death. Quite a shock. I guess there is no better way to say goodbye to one of the most special figures that classical music has enjoyed in the last decades. Rest in peace


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## omega (Mar 13, 2014)

I know the news came not so long ago, and I am aware that the press gives priority to other topics (anniversary of terror attacks, North Korean making their annueal mess, politics, etc.), but I am surprised of the very few articles about Boulez. Let's see tomorrow's newsparpers...
(Michel Galabru passed away on Monday, and caused much more reactions...)

*EDIT* : I was being impatient. There are numerous reactions.


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

That's too bad, but he had a great life. We've been fortunate to share a bit of it with him.


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## LHB (Nov 1, 2015)

One of the most important and influential musicians of the 20th century. Boulez the person may be dead, but his legacy will live on forever.


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

Immediately upon hearing the news (on an NPR broadcast that had just finished playing a movement from Mahler's Third conducted by Boulez) I turned to my giant SONY box set of Boulez titled "The Complete Columbia Album Collection" and pulled out the first of the two _Le marteau sans maitre_ discs, CD 25 in the 67 disc set, and sat down for a respectful listen. The work, composed while I was quite a youth, belies its age (as I do not) and seems fresh and new and "contemporary" even now in the first days of 2016. I remain glad that Boulez graced our world. I am saddened at his passing, yet I know his art shall live on -- remaining, I'm sure, always startling and fresh -- which is a characteristic of our best art in any age.

I shall continue mourning the loss of Pierre Boulez by revisiting his works today ... and for as long as I share this world.


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## SeptimalTritone (Jul 7, 2014)

Boulez's music has such a high density of intense linear motion, it's almost like he was the Bach of the late 20th century. I was really struck by this when I re-listened to Pli Selon Pli, Derive 1 and 2, and Sur Incises. Not only is he highly linear, but he's able to create a mystical cathedral of sound that captures the dreaminess and freedom of the modern spirit. His music really does embody the infinite labyrinth.

Now that he's in composer heaven, Bach and Mozart and Schoenberg are going to be asking for _his_ autograph.


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## Vasks (Dec 9, 2013)

Well, I was just reading some folks' memories of Boulez impromptu quips made in rehearsals and it hit that I wrote some down the second time I saw him in person

So here are his one day's gems some 15+ years ago:

1) After correcting errata on "critical edition" parts he said "_I don't believe in critical editions_"
2) After a pianist rushes, he said "_I could follow you, but I won't_"
3) After the same pianist is slightly off again, he said "_You are just a 32nd note ahead, but that's one 32nd too much_"
4) "_My early recordings are historical in the worst sense_"


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese (Jan 8, 2013)

Was just listening to Boulez Conducts Zappa: The Perfect Stranger, last week too.

Pierre will be missed.


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## opus55 (Nov 9, 2010)

RIP. Boulez made some of my favorite recordings including Mahler symphony no.6. The music he wrote - let's just say they're way over my head.


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## superhorn (Mar 23, 2010)

We have lost one of the giants of classical music . A man of phenomenal musicianship , intellect , and one of the most important and influential figures in the history of western classical music .
His music is not for everyone , but no one can deny its importance .Only time will tell what posterity thinks of it , but it is not music that can be ignored . 
His works are worth getting to know even if one finds them baffling at first . 
Boulez was also one of the greatest conductors of our time ; master of the music of Schoenberg, Berg, Webern, Debussy, Ravel, Stravinsky, Messiaen ,Bartok , among other conductors , as well of Mahler .


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## Hmmbug (Jun 16, 2014)

RIP to one of the greatest composers and conductors of the 20th century, who made one of the largest contributions of any man to the direction of classical music of his lifetime.


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## Klassic (Dec 19, 2015)

I have never been introduced to the music of Boulez. Where to start?


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## Chronochromie (May 17, 2014)

Klassic said:


> I have never been introduced to the music of Boulez. Where to start?


Listen to _Répons_.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

So strange to see that this forum has tree topics about a death conductor composer,
while when Kurt Masur died someone hardly sad anything .
It's no disrespect, just a observation.


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## Chronochromie (May 17, 2014)

Pugg said:


> So strange to see that this forum has tree topics about a death conductor composer,
> while when Kurt Masur died someone hardly sad anything .
> It's no disrespect, just a observation.


Masur was "just" a conductor. Boulez in addition to being a great conductor is considered by many to be one of the most important composers of the 20th century. He was the favorite living composer of quite a few members. 
That's just how I see it at least. BTW Robert Craft died not long ago and I don't remember any thread about it. Oh well...


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## Morimur (Jan 23, 2014)

The world has lost a great mind. May he rest in peace.


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## Richannes Wrahms (Jan 6, 2014)

We are fatherless once more.


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

Richannes Wrahms said:


> We are fatherless once more.


Fatherless? Must confess Boulez has never been a 'father' to me in any way.


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

I think Boulez will be remembered more for his conducting, and noted for his serial music.


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## Badinerie (May 3, 2008)

I first became aware of his work in the early seventies via a TV documentary about IRCAM. I was fascinated by the project, even though I was a young teen and not yet aware of contemporary classical or experimental music. In later years I became familiar with his work as a composer and conductor of the contemporary music scene and standard repertoire.

His talents and influences were wide ranging. Irreplaceable is the term I would use to describe his passing. The importance of his place in the arts has yet to be fully recognized I feel. Pierre Boulez the man, lets face it led a fantastic and full life. We'll miss him as an artist and personality but if there is a Music Heaven, the Heavenly Choir will be getting some interesting arrangements. I expect something really special when I get there, so Get stuck in mate!


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## Abraham Lincoln (Oct 3, 2015)

Noooooooooooooooooo D:


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## dgee (Sep 26, 2013)

What can you say! I knew he was unwell of course, and I didn't know him personally and he hadn't worked for a long while, but it's big to move from a world with Boulez to one without. One of my musical heroes and favourite composers. It's a change, is all


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

ArtMusic said:


> I think Boulez will be remembered more for his conducting, and noted for his serial music.


I think Le marteau sans maître will be considered an influential masterpiece for as long as Classical Music is around.


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## dgee (Sep 26, 2013)

violadude said:


> I think Le marteau sans maître will be considered an influential masterpiece for as long as Classical Music is around.


Not just Marteau! Boulez conducting legacy might begin to look like Mahler's or Wagner's after a while


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## The nose (Jan 14, 2014)

R.I.P. Pierre Boulez
The Hammer lost his master.


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## Headphone Hermit (Jan 8, 2014)

Morimur said:


> The world has lost a great mind. May he *rest in peace*.


I suspect that he'd cause a riot wherever he goes and that 'peace' would be rather tedious for him, but I echo the sentiment behind 'RIP' :tiphat:


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## Headphone Hermit (Jan 8, 2014)

post removed by author - please delete (if possible)


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## ptr (Jan 22, 2013)

Sad news indeed! I'm sure he will be remembered as the "Alma Deutscher" of his generation! 

/ptr


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## Sloe (May 9, 2014)

He made some good music that was not dull and boring and did not sound ugly. That is enough to be a good composer for me.


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## Orfeo (Nov 14, 2013)

Chronochromie said:


> Masur was *"just"* a conductor. Boulez in addition to being a great conductor is considered by many to be one of the most important composers of the 20th century. He was the favorite living composer of quite a few members.
> That's just how I see it at least. BTW Robert Craft died not long ago and I don't remember any thread about it. Oh well...


Not really. Masur was bigger than that. Not only was he a major conductor (who, by the way, re-shaped the NY Philharmonic during its decline in the late 1980s), he was also major player in (East) Germany's fight against the Cold War.

As Margalit Fox puts it in her well-written obituary:

"He also brought to the podium the ardent conviction that music-making was a moral act that could heal the world. It was a belief he had put into spectacular public practice in 1989, when Communism in East Germany began to crumble and he used his singular renown there to avert bloodshed. Mr. Masur would put it into practice again, memorably and movingly, in a New York ravaged by the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001."

She also states:

"The popular revolt against East German communism started in Leipzig, taking hold there in October 1989. Mr. Masur's immersion in that movement had begun a few months before, when he was asked to lend his support to the city's street musicians, who were routinely arrested for not holding official, government-issued licenses. At considerable professional risk, he convened a meeting at the Gewandhaus, inviting the musicians; the Stasi, the East German secret police; and Communist Party officials - more than 600 people in all. It was a measure of his influence that everyone came, and that a remarkably amicable meeting ensued, with the restrictions on street musicians eased."

Because of that, he was considered as Germany's next President.

Source: Kurt Masur Dies at 88; Conductor Transformed New York Philharmonic.
-->http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/20/a...ew-york-philharmonic-conductor-dies.html?_r=0

Pugg's observation is a keen one. That said, Rest eternally in Peace Maestro Boulez. A big, big, loss no doubt, but also a tremendous gratitude for giving us new, even unique light in listening, understanding, and enjoying music, whether from the podium, or through the artistic power of the pen.


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## Mahlerian (Nov 27, 2012)

dgee said:


> Not just Marteau! Boulez conducting legacy might begin to look like Mahler's or Wagner's after a while


Except that in this case, it has been documented.


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## Chronochromie (May 17, 2014)

Orfeo said:


> Not really. Masur was bigger than that. Not only was he a major conductor (who, by the way, re-shaped the NY Philharmonic during its decline in the late 1980s), he was also major player in (East) Germany's fight against the Cold War.
> 
> As Margalit Fox puts it in her well-written obituary:
> 
> ...


That's why just was in quotation marks...


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## Guest (Jan 7, 2016)

I've been listening to the entirety of his available catalogue since yesterday. I believe the only [available] piece I don't have on my iPod is the Fanfare For Georg Solti, unless there are available recordings of works not mentioned on allmusic. His constant transformation is remarkable; Boulez always composed in the present. In addition to the Oeuvres Completes on DG, I've finally listened to the two major works available for recording but not included in this set (on the Col Legno Disc below): _Polyphonie X_ and _Poèsie Pour Pouvoir_, both of which really highlight his links to the Darmstadt school.









Listening chronologically and hearing his evolution truly makes me appreciate the loss we have all sustained...


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

I'm being spurred into a deeper exploration of Boulez as a composer by the event of his death. I hadn't really scratched the surface before. 

Don't read this the wrong way: I do wish that Dutilleux had been given his due just as Boulez is now, when he passed on more than 2 and a half years ago. I think he was just as worthy. To me Boulez's death, along with Dutilleux and Carter(these are the prominent ones that I'm remembering) a few years back, is a significant point in the marking of the end of an era.


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## PeterFromLA (Jul 22, 2011)

Yea, it feels like that, clavichorder. Strictly in terms of seniority, it seems that Gyorgy Kurtag is now the Nestor of new music. (I also happen to think he's now the undisputed best composer around.) Here's hoping he has a long life.


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## Couac Addict (Oct 16, 2013)

...possibly the best conductor I've worked with. He'll be missed.


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## Guest (Jan 7, 2016)

PeterFromLA said:


> Yea, it feels like that, clavichorder. Strictly in terms of seniority, it seems that Gyorgy Kurtag is now the Nestor of new music. (I also happen to think he's now the undisputed best composer around.) Here's hoping he has a long life.


Well, Kurtag along with Friedrich Cerha and Klaus Huber, at least.

Also an interesting point, of the central figures of the Darmstadt School, only Gottfried Michael Koenig and Giacomo Manzoni have survived Boulez. The Darmstadts, along with perhaps the New York School (of whom only Christian Wolff remains), certainly comprise their own "era".


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## Vaneyes (May 11, 2010)

Chronochromie said:


> Masur was "just" a conductor. Boulez in addition to being a great conductor is considered by many to be one of the most important composers of the 20th century. He was the favorite living composer of quite a few members.
> That's just how I see it at least. BTW Robert Craft died not long ago and I don't remember any thread about it. Oh well...


And it's not hard to have that impression. I certainly have had more collecting interest in Boulez.

Though both conducted the NYPO, they were polar opposites. Masur conducted core product, while Boulez wrote and conducted for the less traveled road.

In that regard, one can probably used the fish/pond analogy for repertoire comparison. Masur, a little fish in the highly-competitive large pond. Boulez, the big fish in the less-competitive small pond.

Orfeo painted an impressive picture of Masur the man. Boulez couldn't match him in those big stage activities. Pierre was more of an activist for smaller squirmishes, many of which were music related.

I wandered over to Arkiv Music to see how their available recording numbers compared. I expected Boulez to have a sizable lead in that category. Not so. Boulez (as composer & conductor) 275, Masur 258.

R.I.P. X 2. :tiphat::tiphat:


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## Blancrocher (Jul 6, 2013)

Some musicians share their thoughts and reminiscences about Boulez following his passing:

http://slippedisc.com/2016/01/musicians-remember-pierre-boulez/

The very slightly longer original version of Barenboim's particularly impressive tribute:

https://www.facebook.com/danielbarenboim/


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## Guest (Jan 8, 2016)

Beethoven Piano Sonatas 12-14 played by Paul Lewis.


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## Guest (Jan 8, 2016)

Kontrapunctus said:


> Beethoven Piano Sonatas 12-14 played by Paul Lewis.


Umm...I posted this in the wrong thread! (I wondered why it got so few "likes"!) I did listen to Boulez's Piano Sonata No.2 played by Paavali Jumppanen.


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## Blancrocher (Jul 6, 2013)

Kontrapunctus said:


> Umm...I posted this in the wrong thread! (I wondered why it got so few "likes"!) I did listen to Boulez's Piano Sonata No.2 played by Paavali Jumppanen.


It's alright--you reminded me that Paul Lewis, who I think is a wonderful pianist, should record some Boulez for us.


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## Guest (Jan 9, 2016)

Blancrocher said:


> It's alright--you reminded me that Paul Lewis, who I think is a wonderful pianist, should record some Boulez for us.


Lewis does such a great job in Op.106 that I should think Boulez's 2nd Sonata would sound wonderful, too. Not sure if that style appeals to him or not, though.


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## Blake (Nov 6, 2013)

I hope he died fulfilled. He's done a lot of great things.


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## GioCar (Oct 30, 2013)

Kontrapunctus said:


> Lewis does such a great job in Op.106 that I should think Boulez's 2nd Sonata would sound wonderful, too. ...


As much as Pollini did, for both sonatas.


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## TurnaboutVox (Sep 22, 2013)

PeterFromLA said:


> Yea, it feels like that, clavichorder. Strictly in terms of seniority, it seems that Gyorgy Kurtag is now the Nestor of new music. (I also happen to think he's now the undisputed best composer around.) Here's hoping he has a long life.


I agree with your sentiment about long life, but it should be noted that Kurtag will be 90 years old next month.


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## Richannes Wrahms (Jan 6, 2014)

Very dissapointing we got nothing promising the same stature in the composer reserve.


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## Guest (Jan 10, 2016)

Richannes Wrahms said:


> Very dissapointing we got nothing promising the same stature in the composer reserve.


There are hundreds of fine living composers. Somebody pass Wrahms a beer.


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## Richannes Wrahms (Jan 6, 2014)

Fine yes, but Honegger was a fine composer. I want a Varèse, even if I don't really like it.


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## Guest (Jan 10, 2016)

Richannes Wrahms said:


> Fine yes, but Honegger was a fine composer. I want a Varèse, even if I don't really like it.


I agree that no one is quite on Boulez's level. But there are people who are close. And I think we all knew that Boulez wasn't going to compose past 90 anyway...


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## Chronochromie (May 17, 2014)

I'd say Reich is up there, but then again, I haven't seen much love for the minimalists on TC.


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## millionrainbows (Jun 23, 2012)

"Boulez est morte..."


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## Guest (Jan 10, 2016)

millionrainbows said:


> "Boulez est morte..."


No, dear, Boulez was a man so that should read "_Boulez est *mort*_".


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

millionrainbows said:


> "Boulez est morte..."





TalkingHead said:


> No, dear, Boulez was a man so that should read "_Boulez est *mort*_".


Even with the misspelling, millionrainbows's clever sentiment is well received by all who realize the paraphrase he intends. 
Excellent job, million....


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Richannes Wrahms said:


> Very dissapointing we got nothing promising the same stature in the composer reserve.


It is a little Known fact that the US maintains a Strategic Composer Reserve in rural North Dakota. In times of need, a number of composers will be released from their maximum security facility to come forth and write music. This requires an Executive Order, but none has been issued as of this date.


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## Harold in Columbia (Jan 10, 2016)

Any musician who has not felt - we do not say understood, but emphatically felt - the need for electroacoustic music is USELESS.


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## BermondseySE1 (Mar 30, 2015)

A few highlights from nearly 40 years of hearing Boulez in concert.

-	My first 'proper' concert. The BBC Symphony Orchestra at the Festival Hall in London in 1976. The programme included his own _Rituel_. I had almost no experience of contemporary music but was immediately gripped. A good starting point for a newcomer to PB's music. 
-	Three Proms in the 1977 season: Mahler 7, _Daphnis_, _Firebird_, Jessye Norman doing the _Liebestod_, Beroff the second Bartok concerto, Ligeti's _San Francisco Polyphony_. At a pre-concert talk PB said that, although he admired the music, he refused to follow Ligeti's instruction to stand in silence with his arms outstretched at the end of the piece as he thought this was ridiculous.
-	_Pli selon pli _in Paris with Phyllis Bryn-Julson and the BBCSO in the '80s. I was a student and sat in the back row of the Salle Pleyel, mesmerised.
-	The first (and so far only) UK performance of his own _Repons_ at a Prom in the Royal Horticultural Hall in 1982. Quite a small venue so it made a huge impact. We all sat on the floor, various grandees (Alfred Brendel included) sat on chairs round the edge. PB demonstrated the technology in the interval before performing it again. I taped the broadcast and still like this intermediate version, stark in its contrasts and not yet super-refined as it later became.
-	_Pelleas et Melisande_ in Cardiff in the '90s. A wonderful staging by Peter Stein, despite the noisy scene changes and disobedient animals. A real unity of music and action. 
-	The great 70th birthday concerts with the LSO in 1995: Mutter doing the Berg concerto, Chung the Bartok, _Sacre_, _Visage nuptial_ etc etc.
-	Three concerts with the Berlin Phil in Lucerne in 2002: _Miraculous Mandarin_, _Sacre_, _Ameriques_. I went with a sceptical friend who thought of PB as rather dry but after the ravishing performance of _Daphnis_ said: 'Oh I see, he's actually a sensualist'.
-	A Webern sequence with the VPO in Salzburg in 2003. Starting with the _Passacaglia_, going straight onto the tiny op.10 pieces, then the big op.6 Pieces. The whole VPO remained on stage as a huge symphony orchestra morphed into a small chamber ensemble and back again. Mahler 4 in the second half.
-	Mahler 6 and 8 with the Staatskapelle in Berlin in his shared Mahler cycle with Barenboim in 2007.
-	His last appearance in London in late 2011, conducting _Pli selon pli_, with the EIC, Lucerne students and the wonderful Barbara Hannigan. He was obviously frail and the Boulez geeks among us noticed that he cut a big chunk of _Tombeau_ but it was moving and powerful. The audience gave him a sustained ovation, which I think we knew was a farewell from London.

So many things I would love to have seen (a concert with the Cleveland Orchestra, his Wagner in Bayreuth, _House of the Dead_) but I feel so grateful for the musical education he gave me. He's irreplaceable.


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## Guest (Jan 11, 2016)

SONNET CLV said:


> Even with the misspelling, millionrainbows's clever sentiment is well received by all who realize the paraphrase he intends.
> Excellent job, million....


Well then, you both might appreciate this joke told recently on a French radio station. I wonder if the guy telling the joke has Boulez in mind !
http://www.europe1.fr/mediacenter/e...-qui-a-failli-flinguer-jean-rochefort-1940187


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## Abraham Lincoln (Oct 3, 2015)

SONNET CLV said:


> Even with the misspelling, millionrainbows's clever sentiment is well received by all who realize the paraphrase he intends.
> Excellent job, million....


Care to explain it to the illiterate n00b here? :'P


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## Xaltotun (Sep 3, 2010)

I know next to nothing about Boulez but I can safely say that he was a man with an uncompromising vision, in the best tradition of CM composers and conductors, and that is exactly what we, as the audience, have always needed. No one needs "accomplished musicians" or "versatile performers" at the top of the CM echelon. We have always needed prophets, visionaries and madmen, and that's how it should be. RIP Boulez - respect.


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## Guest (Jan 12, 2016)

Abraham Lincoln said:


> Care to explain it to the illiterate n00b here? :'P


When Schoenberg popped his socks, Boulez (a short time after) published an article entitled "*Schoenberg est mort*" ('Schoenberg is dead') in which he lamented the lack of radicalism in Schoenberg's marriage of 12-tone technique with traditional forms.


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## Skilmarilion (Apr 6, 2013)

Even with only preliminary listening, _Anthemes II_ seems fascinating ...


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## Janspe (Nov 10, 2012)

Skilmarilion said:


> Even with only preliminary listening, _Anthemes II_ seems fascinating ...


You know, by chance I listened to this same performance today and I agree completely, the piece seems very interesting indeed. The music is so sensual, almost ethereal - I love how diverse Boulez' oeuvre is!


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

nathanb said:


> I agree that no one is quite on Boulez's level.


Well I disagree with you two. I can name several living composers I find more interesting - Gubaidulina, Crumb and López to name a few.

No disrespect meant towards Boulez. RIP.


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## millionrainbows (Jun 23, 2012)

TalkingHead said:


> No, dear, Boulez was a man so that should read "_Boulez est *mort*_".


Pardon my French!~


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## millionrainbows (Jun 23, 2012)

Abraham Lincoln said:


> Care to explain it to the illiterate n00b here? :'P


Wow, first I'm stupid, now I'm clever...make up your minds!


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