BOULEZ: SONIC STRUCTURES

Boulez: Sonic Structures celebrates the intoxicating music of Pierre Boulez, stepping into the intricate structures the French composer built throughout his career. With his meticulous, mathematical approach to sound, Boulez dismantled 20th-century music and rewired it, transforming its internal logic. The London Sinfonietta explore the chaos within his fixed systems and the volatile consequences of depth and detail. 

The evening opens with a special insight into …explosante fixe…, as conductor George Benjamin deconstructs the piece live, using the full ensemble and electronics to reveal its inner workings and how Boulez conceived of composition. 

Marking the centenary of Boulez’s birth, this concert pays tribute to his ever-evolving approach to composition. Boulez supposedly finished …explosante fixe… in 1971, but kept finding new life in it, growing from a small-scale piece into iterations with electronics, orchestras, and emerging MIDI techniques. Originally conceived as a tribute to Igor Stravinsky, Boulez projected it into the future, reimagining the work for new times.  

Throughout, the London Sinfonietta highlights both the complexity and possibility at the heart of Boulez’s music.  

For …explosante fixe… flautist Michael Cox is accompanied by an orchestra in orbit. They respond dynamically to his playing, weaving together the piece’s network of finely tuned arrangements. At times, they are restrained to near silence, while at others, they overwhelm the listener with a blanket continuum of sound. 

This event offers a deep insight into the mind of Pierre Boulez, one of the most influential composers of the past century, through the artistry of George Benjamin and the London Sinfonietta. 

Programme to include:

George Benjamin discusses Boulez and ...explosante-fixe...
Pierre Boulez  Mémoriale
Pierre Boulez  ...explosante fixe...

George Benjamin  conductor
Michael Cox  flute 
Royal Academy of Music Manson Ensemble
London Sinfonietta

This event is produced by the London Sinfonietta. The work of the London Sinfonietta is supported using public funding by Arts Council England.

Boulez: Sonic Structures is kindly supported by the Garfield Weston Foundation and the John Ellerman Foundation. 
Boulez: Sonic Structures is performed with the friendly support of the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation.