As many of you know, I work a day job at the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) as senior marketing coordinator. I get the opportunity to write about the amazing musicians of ANAM, the music they play, the guest artists they work with and the fantastic team of faculty and staff who mentor them.
We have just announced our 2025 season, and as a part of that here is a piece I wrote about one of my favourite composers and conductors, Pierre Boulez. This fascinating musician will have 3 performances of his music at ANAM in 2025.
A personal reflection by Evan Lawson
When I think back on my early encounters with 20th-century music, Pierre Boulez's name is one that stands out, woven into the fabric of my musical upbringing. As a child, devouring every CD I could of 20th-century music, I found myself captivated by the sounds of his compositions. His music challenged me to listen more deeply, think more critically, and appreciate the layers of innovation that Boulez brought to the art form. The spell of his music drew me into a world where every note seemed to be a piece of a larger, enigmatic puzzle, a puzzle that continues to intrigue me to this day.
Boulez wasn’t just a composer; he was a maverick who redefined what music could be. His commitment to pushing the boundaries of the traditional concert experience and his fierce advocacy for the avant-garde marked him as a pivotal figure in the 20th-century music scene. Boulez’s music is not something one simply listens to; it demands active engagement, a willingness to confront the unknown. Works like Pli Selon pli, Le Marteau sans maître, and Répons encapsulate this spirit of exploration. They are dense, intricate, and sometimes bewildering, but therein lies their beauty. Each piece offers a journey through uncharted territories of sound, challenging us to rethink our understanding of music.
Boulez’s music should be essential listening today. Yes, it’s pretty hard to sit down, put on a recording, and just ‘chill out’ to his music. But that is the challenge we should all take up—a challenge that dares us to step outside our comfort zones and open our ears to an impossible and dynamic world.
Pieces such as Sur Incise and ...explosante-fixe... are two works I can’t recommend strongly enough. Buoyant, prickly, sparkling, and supple, these works on first glance seem inhuman and immobile, but upon deeper listening are sophisticated and quite sensuous.
The sheer complexity of Boulez’s compositions demands a performance that is equally precise and expressive. It’s this balance between rigor and freedom that brings out the beauty—yes, beauty!—in Boulez’s works, making them both accessible and challenging to listeners.
[Pull out box with QR code to Spotify playlist]
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Be sure to explore this playlist of incredible performances of Boulez’s music.
So, what an absolute joy to look ahead to ANAM’s 2025 programming, which includes a whole evening of concerts dedicated to Boulez’s music. For ANAM’s musicians and audiences, engaging with Boulez’s work offers an invaluable opportunity to immerse themselves in a crucial part of 20th-century music history. His compositions are notoriously difficult—demanding on both the performer and the listener—but they are also incredibly rewarding. There’s a kind of beauty in the challenge they present, a sense of accomplishment that comes from grappling with the complex structures and ideas that underpin his music. I must say that for the ANAM musicians, approaching the huge mountains of works such as Notations, Sonatine for flute and piano, and Piano Sonata No. 2 is not only a technical feat but a rite of passage into the world of contemporary classical music.
Boulez’s music forces us to rethink the role of the concert hall and the purpose of music itself. It challenges us to question the established canon, to look beyond traditional forms, and to explore new ways of thinking about music. For me, this aligns closely with my own values. I believe that while the canon is important, our relationship with it—how we engage with it, reinterpret it, and sometimes even rebel against it—is what truly matters. Boulez’s work embodies this spirit of exploration and innovation, and it’s this spirit that I hope will resonate with our musicians and audiences at ANAM.