BOULEZ: Eclat / Sur Incises (NTSC)

PIERRE BOULEZ
Eclat
Directed by Frank Scheffer

Sur Incises
Directed by Andy Sommer
Written by Hélène Jarry and Andy Sommer

Film 1: Eclat is a real study of resonance written for fifteen instruments Pierre Boulez created in 1965, a glittering jewel of tightness and rationality, a riotously colorful mixture of open-form freedom and serialist order.  Eclat (meaning "to burst out") is a kind of "concerto for conductor," where the musicians in the ensemble play semi-improvisational material prescribed within boxes in Boulez's score. Given this material, the conductor "composes" and controls the work via an elaborate and complex series of cues, directing the content of the music and deciding which musicians play when, as well as what they play.

In this film by Frank Scheffer, Eclat is performed by the Netherlands’ Nieuw Ensemble conducted by Ed Spanjaard, coached by Boulez himself.

Film 2: In A Lesson with Pierre Boulez, the composer explains with warmth, modesty and infectious enthusiasm, the hidden architecture of Sur Incises, one of his most recent works, to a non-specialized young audience. On a number of occasions, Pierre Boulez has shown that he can come up with the right words and gestures to throw a light on complex musical scores. Here he demonstrates his teaching talents in talking about his work as a composer and offers a witty exposition of the musical movements that make up its construction.

This masterclass documentary is complemented by a concert with Boulez conducting the nine soloists of the Ensemble Intercontemporain, who follow him with visible pleasure through the mysteries of this spectacular piece.