Orientations: Collected Writings

About this book

Pierre Boulez is one of the most influentialand controversialfigures in the world of contemporary music. As composer conductor and critic his challenging views of modern developments are lent a special authority by his high standing as an interpreter of classic composers. Orientations will enhance his reputation as a lucid expositor of the modern composers world. When writing about composing and analysis Boulez forges a new way of thinking about music. He is immensely illuminating about his own compositions. He offers special insight on composers with whom he has been particularly associated as a conductorincluding Berlioz Debussy Wagner Mahler Schoenberg Stravinsky and Messiaen. And he writes about performance and orchestras tackling the question of how to make new music more familiar for the concert-goer. This rich and wide-ranging volume is truly a special resource for everyone wanting to learn more about twentieth-century music.