BaL 10.02.18 - Boulez: Le marteau sans maître

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

9.30
Building a Library: Tom McKinney joins Andrew to make a personal choice from among the available recordings of Boulez's seminal work Le marteau sans maître.

Pierre Boulez first performed this piece in 1955. It sets the surrealist poetry of René Char for contralto and six instrumentalists. He had already established a reputation as the composer of modernist and serialist works and this has become one of his most enduring compositions. The orchestration allows for a continuum of sonorities. As Boulez said, "a number of features shared by these instruments forms a continuous passage from voice to vibraphone".

Available recordings:

Jeanne Deroubaix, Solistes du Domaine Musical, Pierre Boulez
Yvonne Minton, Ensemble Musique Vivante, Pierre Boulez
Hilary Summers, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Pierre Boulez
Hilary Summers, West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, Pierre Boulez

Marjorie MacKay, Robert Craft

Katalin Karoli, International Contemporary Ensemble, Pascal Gallois

Linda Hirst, Odaline de la Martinez, Lontano

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Looks like one of those BaLs that's plagued with interruptions.

[Barbirollians]

Looks like one of those BaLs that's plagued with interruptions.

One to miss.

[Bryn]

One to miss.

One not to miss, at least from the list, is the download of the Robert Craft recording.

I have the various recordings with the composer at the helm, but no others, though I intend to download the Craft. At least one of the recordings to be found on amazon.co.uk is of extracts only. A pity that Marni Nixon's first American performance of the work was not recorded. Worth bearing in mind that there are two different recording in the Domain Musical/Boulez box.

[Barbirollians]

One not to miss, at least from the list, is the download of the Robert Craft recording.

I have the various recordings with the composer at the helm, but no others, though I intend to download the Craft. At least one of the recordings to be found on amazon.co.uk is of extracts only. A pity that Marni Nixon's first American performance of the work was not recorded. Worth bearing in mind that there are two different recording in the Domain Musical/Boulez box.

Interesting I found many of his Stravinsky recordings a bit dry - my reference was to the two participants and the format .

[CallMePaul]

[QUOTE=List of recordings to follow ...[/QUOTE]

Are there enough to justify a BAL?

[Bryn]

There are at least 8 complete recordings (5 of which have the composer in charge) plus another of extracts. There may well be others that I am currently unaware of.

[vinteuil]

There are at least 8 complete recordings (5 of which have the composer in charge) plus another of extracts. There may well be others that I am currently unaware of.

... and, with the composer at the helm, satisfyingly HIPP to boot.


.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

There are at least 8 complete recordings (5 of which have the composer in charge) plus another of extracts. There may well be others that I am currently unaware of.

I've found only seven available versions so far.

[Bryn]

I've found only seven available versions so far.

There's a download available from QOBUZ of a live Italian performance under the composer's hands, and another with extracts.

[Beef Oven!]

Very pleased to see this! Also pleased with the format (although I see the forum's elderly conservatives have already begun their predictable banal moaning!).

Can't believe Bryn doesn't already have that excellent mono Craft recording!

Paul (can I call you that?) - I think that if a work is sufficiently important, it ought to be in one's library. If there is more than one recording, then a choice must be made. So I think that although the number of complete recordings does not quite reach double figures, I think this is a legit BaL

I have:

Jeanne Deroubaix, Solistes du Domaine Musical, Pierre Boulez
Yvonne Minton, Ensemble Musique Vivante, Pierre Boulez
Hilary Summers, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Pierre Boulez
Marjorie MacKay, Robert Craft

I don't have the Hilary Summers, West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, Pierre Boulez, but it seems very tempting from the reviews ...........

[teamsaint]

Very pleased to see this! Also pleased with the format (although I see the forum's elderly conservatives have already begun their predictable banal moaning!).

Can't believe Bryn doesn't already have that excellent mono Craft recording!

Paul (can I call you that?) - I think that if a work is sufficiently important, it ought to be in one's library. If there is more than one recording, then a choice must be made. So I think that although the number of complete recordings does not quite reach double figures, I think this is a legit BaL

Well quite.
And eight recordings gives the reviewer a fighting chance.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

And eight recordings gives the reviewer a fighting chance.

It would take a brave reviewer not to select one of the composer-directed versions.

[Beef Oven!]

One not to miss, at least from the list, is the download of the Robert Craft recording.

A stereo version too, on Qobuz.

[Joseph K]

Very pleased to see this! Also pleased with the format (although I see the forum's elderly conservatives have already begun their predictable banal moaning!).

Can't believe Bryn doesn't already have that excellent mono Craft recording!

Paul (can I call you that?) - I think that if a work is sufficiently important, it ought to be in one's library. If there is more than one recording, then a choice must be made. So I think that although the number of complete recordings does not quite reach double figures, I think this is a legit BaL

I don't have the Hilary Summers, West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, Pierre Boulez, but it seems very tempting from the reviews ...........

Seconded!