February 2026
Boulez 2025
Centenary of the birth of Pierre Boulez (1925–2016). Pierre Boulez will always be remembered as a man of pragmatic imperatives: "Do, act, above all, do not reproduce." This command, often heard, was carried out on multiple fronts, challenging sententious conventions and outdated habits. From Messiaen's class in 1944 to the post-war experimental years in Darmstadt, and from the groundbreaking Marteau sans Maître—a work that profoundly impressed Stravinsky—to his final compositions, Boulez never left the forefront of contemporary music, commanding the attention of his peers. Like Stravinsky, Boulez continually evolved throughout his musical journey—a gradual conquest of large form works—and in his broader cultural pursuits. A freeze-frame, a moment of battle, or a single oukase cannot encapsulate his role within a broader historical movement.
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