Boulez: Sonic Structures

The London Sinfonietta celebrates the intoxicating music of Pierre Boulez, stepping into the intricate structures the French composer built throughout his career. With his meticulous, mathematical approach to sound, Boulez dismantled 20th-century music and rewired it, transforming its internal logic.

The evening opens with a special insight into …explosante fixe…, as George Benjamin—one of the UK’s greatest living composers—deconstructs the piece live on stage using the full live ensemble and electronics to reveal its inner workings and how Boulez conceived of composition. A longtime champion of Boulez’s work, Benjamin traces its evolution from Mémoriale, the luminous tribute to Igor Stravinsky that later expanded into …explosante fixe….

Throughout Sonic Structures, the London Sinfonietta highlights both the complexity and possibility at the heart of Boulez’s music. In the second half, …explosante fixe… is heard in full, with flutist Michael Cox leading an orchestra in orbit. They respond dynamically to his playing, weaving together the piece’s network of finely-tuned arrangements. At times they are restrained to near-silence, while at others they overwhelm the listener with a blanket continuum ofsound.

Programme to include:

Pierre Boulez explosante fixe
Pierre Boulez Memoriale

George Benjamin conductor
Michael Cox flute
Royal Academy of Music Manson Ensemble
London Sinfonietta