Exactly one century since the birth of French musical master Pierre Boulez, the Ensemble Orchestral Contemporain, led by conductor Bruno Mantovani, will pay a sweeping tribute to his legacy as part of the 2025 Les Printemps des Arts de Monte-Carlo festival. The day-long event on 26th March will feature musical interludes and a lecture delving into the legendary composer, writer and conductor’s long and prolific career.
French musical legend Pierre Boulez, who died in 2016, would have been 100 this year, and to mark this occasion, the Printemps des Arts festival is presenting a three-part event celebrating the composer’s incredible and inspiring life and work.
Taking place at the Salle des Franciscains at the Théâtre National de Nice, this one-day experience invites audiences on a Boulezian odyssey, traversing his early groundbreaking works and culminating in the masterful creations of his later years.
Conductor Bruno Mantovani will draw parallels between Boulez and his idol, Beethoven, noting their shared trajectory of youthful experimentation followed by a mature reappraisal of earlier styles. This exploration of memory and transformation, central to Boulez’s enduring relevance in contemporary music, is highlighted by three key moments in his career: the integration of legacies after the Liberation of France, the proliferation of utopias in the 1950s and the conductor’s pragmatic later return to the practice of composition.
The day will begin with a rehearsal at 3pm, accompanied by commentary, where Mantovani will provide insights into Boulez’s intricate compositions. This will be followed by a lecture on ‘Notation: Boulez’s Musical Language’ at 6pm, delivered by musicologist Viviane Waschbüsch. The evening will conclude with a full-scale concert starting at 7.30pm, which will showcase works spanning nearly five decades of Boulez’s career, including: Sonatine pour flûte et piano (1946), a vivid synthesis of post-war musical influences; Dérive 1 (1984), a dynamic exploration of resonance inspired by Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire; and Dérive 2 (2006), a distilled, introspective work emblematic of Boulez’s late style.
Performers will include flutist Fabrice Jünger, pianist Benjamin d’Anfray, actress Ambre Pietri, and the Ensemble Orchestral Contemporain, with Mantovani conducting and presenting.
Tickets start at €30. The commented rehearsals and lecture are free for ticket holders but require reservations. For more information and to book seats, click here.
Read related:
Music without boundaries: what to expect from 2025’s Printemps des Arts de Monte-Carlo
Monaco Life is produced by real multi-media journalists writing original content. See more in our free newsletter, follow our Podcasts on Spotify, and check us out on Threads, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Tik Tok.
Photo credit: Jorg Reichardt / Philharmonie de Paris