Miller Theater Continues Composer Series With Pierre Boulez: 85th Birthday Celebration

MILLER THEATRE AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY continues its Composer Portraits series with Pierre Boulez: 85th Birthday Celebration
The composer's first Miller Portrait marks a milestone with the U.S. premiere of Dérive II

Monday, December 6, 8:00PM

Single Tickets: $25 · Students $15 with valid ID

From Miller Theatre Director Melissa Smey:
"Pierre Boulez is without a doubt one of the most important composers of the past century, and one of contemporary music's greatest proponents. It will be a true honor to have the maestro himself at Miller Theatre, coaching the excellent Talea Ensemble on their interpretations of his work and participating in an onstage discussion for the benefit of the entire audience. This is a concert no classical music lover in New York City will want to miss."

Monday, December 6, 8:00PM

Pierre Boulez: 85th Birthday Celebration (b. 1925)
Over half a century as a composer and conductor, Pierre Boulez has gone from enfant terrible (he once proclaimed "All art of the past must be destroyed") to respected elder statesman, leaving an indelible mark on contemporary music. Known for mentoring younger generations, Boulez will work closely with the Talea Ensemble to prepare for this concert and will be on hand for this tribute which features works from throughout his career, from early miniatures for piano to the breathtaking masterwork Dérive, culminating in a U.S. premiere. This marks the first Composer Portrait of Boulez.
Click here to read full program notes.

ARTISTS:
Talea Ensemble
James Baker, conductor

PROGRAM:
12 Notations (1945)
Improvisation I sur Mallarmé: "Le vierge, le vivace et le bel aujourd'hui" (1957)
Improvisation II "Une dentelle s'abolit" (1957)
Dérive 1 (1984)
Dérive 2 (2006) (U.S. Premiere)

BIOS: Pierre Boulez was born in 1925 in Montbrison, France. He first studied mathematics, then music at the Paris Conservatory, where his teachers included Olivier Messiaen and René Leibowitz. In 1954, with the support of Jean-Louis Barrault, he founded the "Domaine musical" in Paris-one of the first concert series dedicated entirely to the performance of modern music-and remained their director until 1967. Boulez began his conducting career in 1958 with the Südwestfunk Orchestra in Baden-Baden, Germany. From 1960 to 1962 he taught composition at the Music Academy in Basle. As a composer, conductor, and teacher, Pierre Boulez has made a decisive contribution to the development of music in the 20th century and inspired generations of young musicians with his pioneering spirit. His recordings have earned him a total of 26 Grammy awards and vast numbers of other prestigious awards.

The Talea Ensemble has given many important premieres of new works by composers including Tristan Murail, Jason Eckardt, Jean-Luc Hervé, and Alexandre Lunsqui, amongst others. The Talea Ensemble was recently the guest ensemble for the 18-day Spectrum XXI Festival tour in Paris and London and has twice been invited as guest ensemble to the Nevada Encounters of New Music. As new music proponents, Talea has joined forces with Ensemble Cairn (Paris), Hyperion Ensemble (Romania), and the iO Quartet (New York). The Talea Ensemble has served as ensemble in residence at Harvard University, Columbia University, and New York University. The group has recorded works on the Living Artists Label and Gravina Musica. Recently commissioned composers for upcoming seasons include James Dillon and Alexandre Lunsqui.

James Baker is principal percussionist of the New York City Ballet Orchestra. He is music director and conductor of the Composers Conference at Wellesley College and director of the Percussion Ensemble at the Mannes College of Music. Baker is guest conductor of the Slee Sinfonietta at the Institute for 21st Century Music in Buffalo and conductor of the New York New Music Ensemble. Recently he has led the Cygnus Ensemble in concerts in New York and California, Ensemble 21 in a Composer Portrait at Miller Theatre, and the Tactus Ensemble at the Manhattan School of Music. He has conducted the New York New Music Ensemble in many concerts both in the United States as well as in Beijing and in Belgium. A devoted performer of contemporary music, he has performed as a soloist at Carnegie Hall and at the Lincoln Center, Moab, Prague Spring and Santa Fe chamber music festivals and as a chamber musician in venues around the world.

Columbia University's Miller Theatre is located north of the Main Campus Gate
at 116th St. & Broadway on the ground floor of Dodge Hall.

For tickets, the public should call the Miller Theatre Box Office at 212/854-7799, M-F, 12-6PM.
Tickets can also be purchased online at http://www.millertheatre.com.

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