Hi Don:
I agree with everything except your last sentence. His "silly remarks" should not be forgotten. He
was stirring the pot, setting himself up for the "other corner" of music where he composed. The
comments help paint a picture of the man. They shouldn't be taken in isolation, nor forgotten.
This thread got me looking into Boulez's recorded repertoire. For one thing, he is a "featured
popular conductor" on ArkivMusic, with his own link right on the first Conductors page:
http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/Name/Pierre-Boulez/Conductor/1379-3
So that tells me, customers are seeking out his recordings (maybe there's new-found interest due to
the Grammy award).
For another, he has 242 recordings available for purchase at ArkivMusic, including several box sets.
That's not a shabby recorded discography.
And, as I said before, he has been steadily employed by major orchestras for a long career.
-- Tom Fine
----- Original Message -----
From: "Don Cox" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, February 19, 2015 7:26 AM
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] The Grammy, etc
> On 17/02/2015, John Haley wrote:
>
>
>>
>> I am always amused at the lack of distinction in most of the classical
>> awards. The voters know very little about who and what they are voting
>> for. Maybe it's my own prejudice at work, but I am truly shocked to
>> read that Pierre Boulez got a lifetime achievement award. The last
>> exponent of a basically dead musical writing style, serialism, who is
>> now generally forgotten as a composer, who was a serious incompetent
>> as an orchestral conductor during his tenure years ago as Music
>> Director of the New York Philharmonic, now he appears to have reached
>> that ultimate pedestal while still alive, of being famous for being
>> famous. Way to go, Grammies. Just my humble opinion --sorry if I am
>> too opinionated. I am getting old and grumpy.
>>
> I have a number of excellent CDs conducted by Boulez, of music by
> Debussy, Varese, Ravel, etc. They are far from incompetent.
>
> His beautiful music is certainly not forgotten here. It would be a pity
> if your personal dislike of it discouraged anyone from getting to know
> it.
>
> Add to these all his other work, and his lifetime achievement seems very
> impressive to me. I think the silly remarks he made in his youth about
> other composers can be forgotten.
>
> Regards
> --
> Don Cox
> [log in to unmask]
>
>
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