Pierre Boulez was always a profoundly restless and exploratory spirit. A leading figure—together with his “Darmstadt circle”—in the establishment of total serialism in the mid-20th century, Boulez soon left this behind, seeking out new, magical timbres and harmonic combinations guided solely by his ear and imagination. In the late 1970s, he accepted Daniel Barenboim’s invitation to compose a work for large symphony orchestra, turning to a group of aphoristically brief twelve-tone piano pieces from his youth, which he then re-composed from the ground up, transforming them with the insights gained over the thirty years that had elapsed. This “autobiographical,” in a sense, work is performed by the Athens State Orchestra, celebrating together with the Megaron—albeit with a slight delay—the centenary of his birth.
But the tribute does not end here: the first half of the concert features two landmark works of the Second Viennese School. The second half opens with music by Debussy, another decisive influence on Boulez’s musical thinking. After Webern, Berg, and Debussy, the orchestral writing of Pierre Boulez emerges as a natural continuation—while losing none of its exuberant revolutionary force.
CO-PRODUCTION
Athens State Orchestra
Megaron – The Athens Concert Hall
