Composer

Our Symphonic Series opens with music born from great conflicts of the 20th Century. Shostakovich’s Eighth Symphony dates from the darkest days of the Second World War, when making music scarcely seemed possible. He dedicated it to all victims of oppression. Conductor Emeritus Ludovic Morlot begins a season-long celebration marking 150 years since Maurice Ravel’s birth with Concerto for the Left Hand. Composed for Paul Wittgenstein, who lost his right arm in World War I, Ravel’s concerto spans the expressive power of the whole keyboard and bubbles with dark energy. We also salute the centenary of musical powerhouse Pierre Boulez.

EPSG:4326

Ravel & Shostakovich

Benaroya Hall

Join us for an exquisite evening of piano music with Yun-Hua Chang, a talented Doctor of Musical Arts student under the guidance of James Giles. This recital is set to take place on Thursday, May 2, 2024, at 6:00pm CDT in the Mary B. Galvin Recital Hall, located within the prestigious Ryan Center for the Musical Arts at Northwestern University.

The program promises a journey through the works of renowned composers, featuring J. S. Bach's Fantasia and Fugue in G Minor, BWV 542 (transcribed by Franz Liszt), Franz Schubert's Piano Sonata No. 13 in A Major, D. 664, Pierre Boulez's Douze Notations pour piano, and Alexander Scriabin's Sonata No. 3 in F-sharp Minor, Op. 23. This selection showcases the breadth of piano literature, from the Baroque to the 20th century, offering something for every classical music enthusiast.

Admission to this event is free, and tickets are not required, making it an accessible opportunity for all to experience the power and beauty of live piano music. Additionally, for those unable to attend in person, a live stream will be available, ensuring no one misses out on this captivating performance.

The Galvin Recital Hall, with its stunning views of Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline, coupled with its exceptional acoustics, provides the perfect backdrop for an evening of musical excellence. Don't miss this opportunity to support emerging talent and immerse yourself in the transformative power of music.

Yun-Hua Chang, piano

Mary B. Galvin Recital Hall

Juilliard Orchestra Conducted by David Robertson

Carnegie Hall

 ATHELAS has the great honor of inviting to a concert with the recipient of the Léonie Sonnings Musikpris 2024, the French-Swiss flautist Emmanuel Pahud. The concert on March 10 in Den Sorte Diamant is not only the first award recipient gives in connection with the award reception, but also the only one in concert in Copenhagen. We are proud to have conductor Anu Tali on stage at this fireworks display of a concert.

Emmanuel Pahud, Sonnings Music Prize 2024

The Royal Library

In celebration of the 100th birthday of Pierre Boulez, conductor Daniel Cohen joins BBC NOW for an evening of 20th Century gems, kicking off with Boulez’s own Livres pour cordes. Unsurpassable beauty and depth run deep in this angular and fragmentary work, which is nothing but lyrical throughout.

Boulez at 100

Wales Millennium Centre

Schoenberg’s Five Piano Pieces, Op. 23, which marks the crystallization of his twelve-tone technique is the launchpad. Other groundbreaking piano methods are heard in Leo Ornstein’s Suicide in an Airplane, distinctive for its tone clusters. Pierre Boulez’s fascinating 12 Notations uses the number 12 as a self-imposed structure with a 12-note row forming the basis of 12 solo piano pieces, each just 12 bars long. The indirect passing of the Schoenberg baton is heard in A Love Supreme, a progressive jazz masterpiece by the famed innovator John Coltrane, whose groundbreaking style is rooted in Schoenberg’s techniques, gleaned from his teacher Dennis Sandole, a Schoenberg student. Coltrane also studied with Ornstein as a teenager in Philadelphia.

Fierce Beauty Part I

First Presbyterian Church of Santa Monica

The UTSO concerts are made possible in part by a generous gift from Neville Austin. 

U of T presents: University of Toronto New Music Festival: University of Toronto Symphony Orchestra

University of Toronto Faculty of Music

Join us for an extraordinary musical experience at the Staatstheater Darmstadt on Sunday, 21 January 2024, at 15:00. The West-Eastern Divan Ensemble, renowned for its exceptional performances, will grace the stage in Darmstadt, Germany, presenting a program that promises to captivate and inspire.

The ensemble will perform a selection of classical masterpieces, including Pierre Boulez's "Anthèmes 1," Franz Schubert's "String Trio in B-flat major D.581," and Schubert's "Octet in F major D.803." This carefully curated program showcases the ensemble's versatility and commitment to bridging cultural divides through music.

The West-Eastern Divan Ensemble is celebrated for its unique composition of artists from diverse backgrounds, coming together to perform as a symbol of cooperation and understanding. Under the guidance of its founders, the ensemble has gained international acclaim, making this performance a must-see event for classical music enthusiasts.

Don't miss this opportunity to witness the transformative power of music at the Staatstheater Darmstadt. Mark your calendars, add the event to your schedule, and prepare for an unforgettable afternoon of exquisite musical artistry.

Staatstheater Darmstadt

Inaugurated in Fall 2022, NEC's New Music Ensemble begins its second season with a program of works by Ligeti, Yuan-Chen Li, Stravinsky, Villa-Lobos, Boulez, and Piazzolla.  Hugh Wolff and Timothy Ren '25 MM conduct.

NEC New Music Ensemble

New England Conservatory

Musicians Of Tomorrow

Southbank Centre

One of the most in-demand chamber ensembles in the world today, Quatuor Diotima returns to the UChicago campus for their long-awaited Music from Paris series. Featuring composers such as Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, and César Franck, this celebration of French and French-influenced music is a fitting conclusion to the ensemble’s tenure as the Don Michael Randel Ensemble-in-Residence.

Quatuor Diotima: Music from Paris

Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts

Saint-Saëns’s captivating “Organ” Symphony is a forceful statement for the genre itself. Written at a time when opera was perceived as the acme of musical expression, Saint-Saëns summoned the full emotive forces of the symphonic orchestra and organ to achieve the purest form of expression — untethered to text, story line, or characters. Severance’s Norton Memorial Organ shines in this journey from somber contemplation to radiant redemption, which provided a model for none other than Mahler’s “Resurrection” Symphony.

Saint-Saëns Organ Symphony

Severance Music Center

Diotima Quartet

The Studio Hall

2025 marks the centenary year of the legendary composer and conductor Pierre Boulez, and Sir Simon Rattle kicks off the LSO’s celebrations with Éclat. An exploration of sound itself, for Rattle it’s ‘one of Boulez’s seminal pieces, a piece where you not only conduct, but you almost compose as you go along'. 

London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Simon Rattle

Barbican Centre

**Boulez, Benjamin, and Brahms 4: A Musical Celebration with the London Symphony Orchestra**

Join us for an enchanting evening of music as the London Symphony Orchestra presents "Boulez, Benjamin, and Brahms 4" at the Barbican on Thursday, 9 January 2025, at 7 pm. This special concert, under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle and featuring the extraordinary soprano Barbara Hannigan, promises a bewitching programme that contrasts the glittering soundscapes of Pierre Boulez, the lyrical world premiere from George Benjamin, and the grandeur of Johannes Brahms’ Symphony No. 4.

**Programme Highlights:**
- **Pierre Boulez:** Éclat – 8 mins
- **George Benjamin:** Interludes and Aria from Lessons in Love and Violence (World Premiere) – 15 mins
- **Interval**
- **Johannes Brahms:** Symphony No. 4 – 42 mins

**Performers:**
- **Conductor:** Sir Simon Rattle
- **Soprano:** Barbara Hannigan
- **Orchestra:** London Symphony Orchestra

The concert will conclude at approximately 8:35 pm, including a 20-minute interval. 

**Ticket Information:**
Tickets are available at various price points (£70, £55, £39, £26, £18) with a £4 booking fee per online/phone transaction. Special discounts are available, including Wildcards (£12/£16) for guaranteed entry with seat allocation on the day, multibuy discounts of up to 40%, and special rates for groups, students, and 18s-and-under.

**About the Concert:**
2025 marks the centenary year of legendary composer and conductor Pierre Boulez, and Sir Simon Rattle pays tribute with a performance of Éclat, a seminal piece exploring the essence of sound. The concert also features a world premiere from George Benjamin, created as a gift for Rattle’s 70th birthday, alongside Brahms’ tragically grand Symphony No. 4, full of melody and warm orchestral colours.

This concert is not just a performance but a celebration of musical innovation, creativity, and the enduring legacy of these composers. Join us for an unforgettable night of music with the London Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican.

**Booking and Additional Information:**
For tickets and further details, please visit the LSO website or the Barbican website. You can also book by phone or in person at the Barbican Centre. Don’t miss this opportunity to experience the magic of live music with the London Symphony Orchestra.

Boulez, Benjamin and Brahms 4

Join the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) for a remarkable evening dedicated to the legacy of Pierre Boulez, a towering figure in contemporary music. This special concert, part of the LSO Futures series, is set to take place at the Barbican on Sunday, 26 January 2025, at 7pm. Under the baton of François-Xavier Roth, a fervent champion of Boulez's work, the orchestra will explore the profound influence of Boulez through a blend of his compositions and those of his beloved Debussy, alongside the excitement of three world premieres.

The concert will feature Debussy's "Gigues" and "Ibéria" from "Trois images pour orchestre," showcasing the composer's revolutionary musical language and precise sound worlds that Boulez so admired. Boulez's own "Notations Nos 1, 2, 3, 4 & 7" will be presented, pieces that began as piano compositions and were later transformed by Boulez into vivid orchestral works.

Adding to the evening's allure are world premieres by Olga Neuwirth, Rafael Marino Arcaro, and Lara Agar, co-commissioned by the LSO. These pieces draw inspiration from Boulez's pioneering spirit and innovative use of color and form, promising a night of fresh and engaging music.

The concert is not only a tribute to Boulez in his centenary year but also a celebration of the future of music, with the LSO at the forefront of commissioning and performing new works. The event will conclude at approximately 8:50 pm, including a 20-minute interval.

Tickets are available in various price ranges, with discounts offered for multiple bookings, young people, students, and groups. For those looking for a unique experience, Wildcards offer guaranteed entry with seat allocation on the day of the concert. This is an opportunity to immerse yourself in the world of contemporary classical music and to celebrate the enduring legacy of Pierre Boulez with the London Symphony Orchestra.

LSO Futures: Homage to Pierre Boulez

A concert all about conversations, numbers and musical echoes. A solo cello is in dialogue with six comrades in Messagesquisse where the rhythms are inspired by Morse code. Another group of six features in Dérive 1, while in Anthèmes 2 a violin generates its own electronic response.

LSO Chamber Ensemble/François-Xavier Roth

Milton Court Concert Hall

Join us for a captivating evening of music as we celebrate the centenary of Pierre Boulez with "Boulez 100: Chamber Concert" performed by the London Symphony Orchestra Chamber Ensemble. This special event will take place at the Milton Court Concert Hall on Monday, 27 January 2025, at 7:30 pm.

The concert promises a fascinating exploration of Boulez's work, featuring pieces that showcase the innovative and intricate compositions of one of the most influential figures in contemporary music. The program includes:

- "Messagesquisse" (7 mins)
- "Dérive 1" (7 mins)
- "Fanfare for the 80th Birthday of Georg Solti" (5 mins)
- "Sonatine for Flute and Piano" (12 mins)
- "Anthèmes 2 for Violin and Electronics" (24 mins)

Under the baton of François-Xavier Roth, one of the world’s leading Boulez conductors, and featuring violinist Benjamin Marquise Gilmore, the LSO Chamber Ensemble will guide you through a riveting journey into the musical labyrinth of Boulez's creations. The concert will conclude at approximately 8:30 pm.

Tickets are priced at £15 and £18, with a £4 booking fee per online/phone transaction. However, you can save on your booking with our Wildcards for guaranteed entry, Multibuy Discounts of up to 40%, and special rates for groups, students, and 18s-and-under.

This event is not just a concert but a celebration of music's eternal mystery through the lens of Pierre Boulez's groundbreaking compositions. Don't miss this opportunity to experience the depth and breadth of Boulez's genius performed by the world-renowned LSO Chamber Ensemble.

Book your tickets now and be part of this unique musical celebration.

Boulez 100: Chamber Concert

This cutting-edge concert is a vital part of Carnegie Hall’s Pierre Boulez centennial celebration, combining the creative forces of the International Contemporary Ensemble with the latest breakthroughs in responsive music-performance technology. It features a world premiere that incorporates the machine-learning advancements of SOMAX 2, developed with researchers at IRCAM (Boulez’s world-renowned institute for computer and electro-acoustic music and innovation). The program also includes works by Boulez and leading composers inspired by his legacy, including longtime IRCAM researcher and visionary composer Philippe Manoury; genre-defying American multi-instrumentalist Tyshawn Sorey; and the late Kaija Saariaho.

International Contemporary Ensemble

Ensemble-in-residence at UC Davis, the Empyrean Ensemble presents engaging and eclectic programs, inviting audiences to experience new musical sensations delivered with high artistry by its extraordinary players—among the finest new music performers in California.

Empyrean Ensemble

Ann E. Pitzer Center

Based around Ravel’s Miroirs suite for solo piano, the program includes responses to the suite’s five movements in more contemporary repertoire. Chinese-American pianist George Xiaoyuan Fu has been praised as “one of the most exciting pianists of our time… a deep thinker, thoroughly in command” (The Arts Desk). Recently winning BBC Music Magazine’s 2024 Newcomer Award, he is establishing an international reputation as a fearless and probing interpreter of a wide array of music, combining “stunning virtuosity” (Boston Music Intelligencer) and “phenomenal technique with a profound sense of interpretative clarity” (Apple Music).

George Xiaoyuan Fu, piano

Kaufman Music Center

François-Xavier Roth

Munich Residence

Players from Royal Northern Sinfonia and the orchestra’s Principal Conductor Dinis Sousa.

Once upon a time

The Glasshouse International Centre for Music

Considered a “brilliant musician and an extraordinary visionary” (The Wall Street Journal), French pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard enjoys an internationally celebrated career. As a master performer of Beethoven, Aimard recorded Beethoven’s entire catalogue of piano concertos and both the “Hammerklavier” Sonata and “Eroica Variations.” He is widely acclaimed as a key figure in the music of our time and has had close collaborations with many leading composers including György Ligeti, whose complete works for piano he has recorded. Praised by The Guardian as “one of the best Messiaen interpreters around,” Aimard has had a close association to the composer himself and with Yvonne Loriod, with whom he studied at the Paris Conservatoire.

Pierre-Laurent Aimard, piano

The Royal Conservatory of Music

“To listen to Aimard in action is to feel the gears of a composition mesh in new ways,” writes the San Francisco Chronicle. In this thrilling meeting of artistic sensibilities, renowned pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard gives audiences powerful new insight into the distinctive genius of his late teacher and collaborator, Pierre Boulez. “He likes to put interpreters at the border of what’s possible and what is not. If you like that, it’s incredibly exciting,” Aimard says of the influential composer. Piano works by Boulez are featured alongside carefully selected pieces by Bartók, Ravel, and Schoenberg in this unique matinee recital.

Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano

Jörg Widmann’s love of Schumann impelled him to reflect, reconsider and then weave his own instrumental tapestry in and around Schumann’s great song cycle Dichterliebe, sung tonight by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra’s Artist in Residence, Benjamin Appl. Geoffrey Paterson returns to Ensemble 10:10 to guide us through this and the contrasting musical landscapes of Alexander Goehr and Pierre Boulez(to honour his 100th anniversary), and introduce new music from Liverpool-born former Rushworth Composition Prize winner, Nneka Cummins.

Ensemble 10:10

Yoko Ono Lennon Centre

Sir Simon Rattle 9

Journey up the Rhine River, as lovingly portrayed in Robert Schumann’s Rhenish Symphony. Listen for the flowing water and contemplate the majesty of the Cologne Cathedral. To begin, Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider leads and performs the rich and alluring melodies of Bruch’s First Violin Concerto. Pierre Boulez’s iridescent Livre pour cordes marks the centenary of the composer’s birth.

Bruch & Schumann Rhenish

Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Wheaton College

Watch the performance on this page at the scheduled date and time. This performance won’t be available to stream afterward on demand.

AXIOM

Lincoln Center

CSO Artist-in-Residence Daniil Trifonov, “without question the most astounding pianist of our age” (The Times of London), takes on Brahms’ Second Piano Concerto, as remarkable for its rich orchestral writing as for its simultaneously glittering and muscular piano part. Dvořák’s turbulent Seventh Symphony is both an expression of the composer’s personal crises and a lyrical tribute to the Czech spirit.

Mäkelä & Trifonov

The Los Angeles Philharmonic, under the baton of their esteemed Conductor Laureate Esa-Pekka Salonen, returns for an evening of profound musical exploration with celebrated pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard. The concert marks Maestro Salonen’s 16th appearance conducting for CAMA over the past 30+ years—twelve with the LA Phil and three with London’s Philharmonia Orchestra. The program features an intricate dialogue between solo and orchestral textures, showcasing the innovative works of Pierre Boulez complemented by three of Debussy’s radiant works, including La mer. Known for his deep connection with Boulez’s compositions, Aimard will perform solo pieces from the composer’s “Notations” along with corresponding orchestral versions, as well as Debussy’s “Fantaisie for Piano and Orchestra.” Both composers pioneered revolutionary approaches to composition and timbre, making this pairing especially apt, inviting discovery and association.

Los Angeles Philharmonic

Granada Theatre

Sir Simon Rattle 10

Gasteig HP8

Celebrate the centennial of Pierre Boulez, the unparalleled French composer, conductor, and cultural visionary, with a captivating duo piano recital. Born on March 26, 1925, Boulez transformed post-war contemporary music, leaving an indelible mark on the 20th century. His extensive conducting career and foundational role in institutions like Paris's Cité de la Musique and IRCAM highlight his monumental influence.

Pierre Boulez

Composer

Events

Upcoming events

Nov 28, 2024

Diotima Quartet · The Royal Danish Academy of Music

Jan 9, 2025

London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Simon Rattle · Barbican Centre

Jan 9, 2025

Boulez, Benjamin and Brahms 4 · London Symphony Orchestra

Jan 26, 2025

LSO Futures: Homage to Pierre Boulez · London Symphony Orchestra

Jan 27, 2025

LSO Chamber Ensemble/François-Xavier Roth · Barbican Centre

Past events

19 - 21 Sep, 2024

Ravel & Shostakovich · Seattle Symphony

May 2, 2024

Yun-Hua Chang, piano · Northwestern Bienen School of Music

About

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