Boulez: Sur Incises, Messagesquisse & Anthèmes 2

Album Review

The leading French modernist Pierre Boulez celebrated his 75th year in 2000 with a series of excellent productions on Deutsche Grammophon which exhibit his work in both conduction and composition. Sur Incises is a recording from the Boulez specialists Ensemble Intercontemporain, under his direction, and this recording contains four of the great composer's modern works. "Sur Incisis" dates 1996-1998 and was written for combined trios of piano, harp, and percussion. What begins with signature modernist atonality unfolds into glissandi of notes and fast transitions. Scored like a labyrinth unfolding, the work is an assured and complex exhibition that, in the composer's 75th year, was also his 50th at the forefront of 20th century composition. His rigorous historical revisionist period crops up on the CD's second piece, "Messagesquisse," from 1976-1977, which is premiered as the centerpiece here. The work is for solo cello leading a cello sextet, which unfolds like the musical animation of a cubist painting — all angles and distorted perspectives. This was effected by electronic spatialization/electro-acoustic accenting, of which Boulez has never shied from, although technology only permitted such schemes to function as desired for this piece in the 2000s, hence this '70s work has never before been recorded. Computers also assist in the realization of the final epic work for solo violin, "Anthemes 2," in which Hae-Sun Kang's performance is enhanced by the time-scattering effects of Andrew Gerzso's digital interventions. Pierre Boulez puts modernism, technology, and avant-garde methodology into perspective, and his work is aided by an exceptionally high standard of production from Deutche Grammophon.