Pierre Boulez

Pli selon pli

Archive 2011
Music

Pierre Boulez,
Pli selon pli,
portrait of Mallarmé for soprano and orchestra
Don
Improvisation I on Mallarmé based on « Le vierge, le vivace, et le bel aujourd’hui »
Improvisation II on Mallarmé based on « Une dentelle s’abolit »
Improvisation III on Mallarmé based on « À la nue accablante tu »
Tombeau
Barbara Hannigan, soprano
Lucerne Festival Academy
Ensemble intercontemporain
Direction, Pierre Boulez
Coproduction Salle Pleyel ; Festival d’Automne à Paris
With the Help of Sacem
Recorded by France Musique

As described by the composer, the work is a “musical portrait of Mallarmé” with poetry and music governed by a dual principle of coinciding structures
and converging ideals. The cycle, which Boulez reworked, adjusted and modulated from 1957 to 1989, extending its temporal scope, begins and ends with orchestral sections.