Cast
Program notes
Chou Wen Chung, Elliott Carter ,Pierre Boulez and Riccardo Chailly pay a tribute to Edgard Varese.
Born in 1883 in Paris, Edgard (or Edgar) Varese studies at Schola Cantorum in Paris. In 1915, disappointed by the composers' status in France, he emigrates to the United States where he live until his death in 1965. Often said to be a visionary, he was indeed one of the very first composers who asked science for new sounds, who used new instruments like the Ondes Martenot, and who made electronic music.
In this film, movie director Frank Scheffer investigates on one of his favorite composers, the one who made him become a passionate of the 20th century music. He meets with three contemporary composers to talk about the one who revolutionized the vision of music: Chou Wen Chung, Elliott Carter and Pierre Boulez. Also featured are interviews with maestro Riccardo Chailly, who conducts the Concertgebouw Orchestra in works by Varese.