Music Director Pierre Boulez at 100
Celebrating the Centennial of the New York Philharmonic's Music Director, 1971-77
By New York Philharmonic
By Meredith Self and Hannah Smith
Pierre Boulez Conducting a Rehearsal of the New York Philharmonic (1972-02-01/1972-02-14) by Christian SteinerNew York Philharmonic
Boulez the Conductor
Known for his baton-less conducting, Pierre Boulez instead used expressive hand gestures to indicate tempo and dynamics to musicians. Here, he conducts a rehearsal of the New York Philharmonic in 1973.
Boulez the Composer
By the mid-20th century, Pierre Boulez was establishing himself as both conductor and composer outside of his native France. His Improvisation sur Mallarmé I made its United States Premiere with the New York Philharmonic in March, 1960 under the baton of Leonard Bernstein.
Debut Concerts
For his New York Philharmonic debut, Boulez conducted five different programs over four weeks—a lengthy residency.
Audiences were thrown by his selection of four modern, 20th century works, but one critic conceded that “Mr. Boulez brings something special to conducting."
After several weeks of working together, it was clear there was chemistry between Boulez and the orchestra. The Board of Directors unanimously voted in favor of Pierre Boulez as the New York Philharmonic's next Music Director.
Lenny's Successor
As his direct successor, Boulez was frequently compared to, and contrasted with, Leonard Bernstein. Boulez’s attitude at the podium was considered “deadpan” to some, who dubbed him the “anti-Bernstein.” Despite this, the two had deep respect for each other as artists.
When asked for his opinion on Boulez’s appointment as Music Director, Bernstein replied: “I think it was a brave and maybe the only possible choice.”
First Prospective Encounter (October 1, 1971) by Whitestone PhotoNew York Philharmonic
Boulez's New Music Series
Boulez speaking to the audience at the inaugural Prospective Encounters concert on October 1, 1971 at The Public Theater in New York City's Greenwich Village.
Prospective Encounters
Boulez immediately jumped into new music initiatives, founding Prospective Encounters to “bridge the gap between avant-garde music and the public.” At these informal, low-cost concerts in downtown Manhattan, audience members were encouraged to ask questions of the conductor.
Rugs Audience (June 1974) by Christian SteinerNew York Philharmonic
The Rug Concerts
Boulez's downtown experiments worked to bring new, young audience members to classical concerts. In 1973, he initiated the Rug Concerts at Lincoln Center where, for just $3 a ticket, audiences could seat themselves wherever they liked on the eponymous red rugs lining the floor.
The Rug Concerts
At the Rug Concerts, the orchestra was moved off the stage to the parquet below. From unique vantage points, attendees experienced a more laid back, intimate concert experience. This orientation had the added benefit of improved acoustics.
BBC Proms Boulez Fans (August 30, 1975)New York Philharmonic
Boulez's Tours
Boulez led the New York Philharmonic on tours abroad to East Asia and Europe, as well as to the American Midwest and Appalachia. Pictured here is the audience at the orchestra's first performance at the BBC Proms in 1975 at Royal Albert Hall.
1975 Tour of Europe
The final stop on Boulez's Tour of Europe was a benefit for the International Stained Glass Centre at Chartres Cathedral in France, the first and only time the Philharmonic would perform there. The cathedral would be named a UNESCO World Heritage Site a few years later, in 1979.
Bartók Recording Session (December 18, 1972)New York Philharmonic
Innovations in Recording
Boulez and the Philharmonic’s recording of Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra was the first symphonic LP to use four audio channels (“quadraphonic”), capable of creating a surround-sound auditory experience unlike anything previously heard in recorded music.
GRAMMYs
A recipient of 26 GRAMMY awards, Pierre Boulez remains one of the most awarded musicians by the Recording Academy to this day. His rendition of Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra with the New York Philharmonic won him this GRAMMY for Classical Album of the Year in 1973.
IRCAM
In 1970, French President Georges Pompidou asked Boulez to found a facility for music research as part of the larger Centre Beaubourg (today's Centre Pompidou), a democratic home for the contemporary arts. Its formation coincided with Boulez’s tenure and was completed in 1977.
Boulez with Composers (May 14, 1977) by Peter SchaafNew York Philharmonic
End of the Boulez Era
Pierre Boulez gave his final concert as Music Director of the New York Philharmonic on May 14, 1977. To celebrate the end of his tenure, 26 composers whose music had been played by the orchestra under his direction were in attendance.
Final Concerts as Music Director
As a "going-away present from Boulez to Philharmonic audiences,” his choice of repertoire for his final program was Berlioz’s The Damnation of Faust. The selection was somewhat of a compromise, giving his audiences the more traditional orchestral canon that they craved.
Boulez Toast (1977) by Peter SchaafNew York Philharmonic
Pierre Boulez in his office at Avery Fisher Hall during his final concerts as Music Director of the New York Philharmonic, 1977.
“'I know I am stubborn,’ [Boulez] said with a grin, ‘but that’s a game that you must play between the audience and yourself – to see who’s the most stubborn.'"
-Newsday, May 14, 1977
Guest Appearances
Boulez remained a dear friend of the Philharmonic after his departure, bringing IRCAM's orchestra, Ensemble InterContemporain, on a United States tour in 1986. Here, he conducts Philharmonic Musicians in a performance of Stravinsky's L'Histoire du Soldat during that same tour.
NYP 150th Anniversary Concert (December 7, 1992) by Chris LeeNew York Philharmonic
Final Performance with the NY Phil
Boulez’s last performance with the New York Philharmonic on December 7, 1992 marked the orchestra’s 150th Anniversary. Together with his successive Music Directors Zubin Mehta and Kurt Masur, each conducted a work significant to his musical career, Boulez's being Debussy's La Mer.
Watch: Pierre Boulez conducts the New York Philharmonic in Debussy's La Mer at the 150th Anniversary Concert, December 7, 1992.
Meredith Self, Assistant Archivist/Asset Coordinator; Hannah Smith, Archives Intern
