Thursday marks the 90th birthday of the revolutionary composer and conductor Pierre Boulez. Famously outspoken on musical culture, he’s shared his views with New York Public Radio at various points throughout his long career. To mark the occasion of his birthday, we look back at Boulez’s many appearances on the station, tracking the evolution of his views over the course of his lifetime. Plus:
- Thursday, Mar. 26 (throughout the day): WQXR features Boulez-conducted recordings.
- Thursday, Mar. 26 (11 am-1 pm:) Q2 Music presents a special two-hour special hosted by Phil Kline.
1986: Computer-Generated Composition, Remembering a Caustic Manifesto: While touring the U.S. with the French Ensemble InterContemporain, Boulez spoke with host John Schaefer before a concert in Boston about his composition Repons, a product of his work at the French musical institute IRCAM. In the interview, Boulez discusses computer-assisted composition, including his interest in electronic music and the manipulation of sound in real-time. He also addresses his famously caustic 1952 article "Schoenberg is Dead" (written just months after Arnold Schoenberg's death) and the future of composition.
2000: Shaking Up Orchestra Programs; The Rite of Spring: Fourteen years later, in an interview with John Schaefer for the WNYC's Around New York, Boulez revisits the theme of the interaction between the old and the new as he reflects on his time touring in America. He discusses his attempts to create balanced programs that juxtapose music from different centuries, in a day where orchestras have become increasingly specialized. Boulez also tells us about his mastery of Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, which he has spent years thoroughly analyzing, to the point where conducting the piece has become a natural gesture for him.
2003:
2003: The Art of Conducting; Favorite Pieces: Just a year after being arrested in Switzerland for reportedly calling for the bombing of opera houses back in a 1960’s interview, Pierre Boulez appeared on Gilbert Kaplan’s Mad about Music series. Boulez critiques the conservative nature of contemporary music performers, explaining how he, as a conductor, is never afraid of audience reactions. He also describes how conducting classical music gives him insight on the new works that he is writing and conducting. He talks about how he controls his emotions when conducting ("I like precision, detail and organization. When I have thing under control, then I can begin to fly really"). And he reflects on his legacy as a composer.
2009: The Music of Mahler; New York in the '70s: At the age of 84, while in town to co-conduct (with Daniel Barenboim) a Mahler symphony cycle, Boulez returned to WNYC for an interview with John Schaefer on Soundcheck. In this most recent WNYC interview, Boulez denies the claim that he has “mellowed” over the years. In his outspoken nature, he criticizes today’s orchestral programs for their lack of creativity and reflects on his time conducting the New York Philharmonic, during which he introduced rug concerts – seating audiences on rugs as a way of attracting younger listeners. Boulez discusses his vision for future orchestras, and wishes the then-newly named director Alan Gilbert the best of luck with the Philharmonic.