Pierre Boulez ~ Schoenberg · Berio · Carter · Kurtág

Music CD 1

Pelleas und Melisande, symphonic poem, Op. 5
Variations for Orchestra, Op. 31: Introduction
Variations for Orchestra, Op. 31: Theme
Variations for Orchestra, Op. 31: Variation 1
Variations for Orchestra, Op. 31: Variation 2
Variations for Orchestra, Op. 31: Variation 3
Variations for Orchestra, Op. 31: Variation 4
Variations for Orchestra, Op. 31: Variation 5
Variations for Orchestra, Op. 31: Variation 6
Variations for Orchestra, Op. 31: Variation 7
Variations for Orchestra, Op. 31: Variation 8
Variations for Orchestra, Op. 31: Variation 9
Variations for Orchestra, Op. 31: Final

Music CD 2

Sinfonia, for 8 amplified voices & orchestra: Movement 1
Sinfonia, for 8 amplified voices & orchestra: Movement 2, O King
Sinfonia, for 8 amplified voices & orchestra: Movement 3, In ruhig fließender Bewegung
Sinfonia, for 8 amplified voices & orchestra: Movement 4
Sinfonia, for 8 amplified voices & orchestra: Movement 5
Eindrücke, for orchestra

Music CD 3

Oboe Concerto
Esprit Rude / Esprit Doux, for flute & clarinet
A Mirror on Which to Dwell, for soprano & chamber orchestra: Anaphora
A Mirror on Which to Dwell, for soprano & chamber orchestra: Argument
A Mirror on Which to Dwell, for soprano & chamber orchestra: Sandpiper
A Mirror on Which to Dwell, for soprano & chamber orchestra: Insomnia
A Mirror on Which to Dwell, for soprano & chamber orchestra: View Of The Capitol From The Library of Congress
A Mirror on Which to Dwell, for soprano & chamber orchestra: O Breath
Penthode, for 5 groups of 4 instruments

Music CD 4

Messages of the late R. V. Troussova, 21 Poems by Rimma Dalos for soprano & chamber ensemble, Op 17
. . . agm. . ., for 16 voices & 3 instrumental groups
Modulations for 33 musicians

Music CD 5

Jalons, for 15 musicians
Antiphysis
Funérailles (Version 1) for string sextet, double bass, and harp
Funérailles (Version 2) for 7 strings & harp

There are the uproarious moments of Berio's clattery free-for-all approach easily juxtaposed against Schoenberg's more measured Variations, as it illuminates the crossroads of serialism and standard classical methodologies. The most astonishing moments come in the Kurtag songs, themselves echoing Pierrot Lunaire, and the Birtwistle work, which crosses extended vocal patterns with exclamatory orchestral interruptions to great effect. For anyone interested in Boulez's conductorly contributions to the postserial world, this is a surefire collection that opens the window on the great one's magic with difficult, thorny music. It also serves as a fascinating primer on the expansion of new music's techniques, especially when you consider the Elliott Carter works, all of them post-1975 and each uniquely expanding the American canon immeasurably, or the Grisey, Dufourt, and Ferneyhough works, as each of these composers came of age in the post-World War II era. --Andrew Bartlett