The Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France celebrates Pierre Boulez

Premiered in 1946, but reworked in 1989, Le Visage nuptial ("The Nuptial Face") is one of Pierre Boulez's most lyrical pieces. Written after a poem by René Char (excerpt from Fureur et Mystère), this secular cantata for soprano, contralto, women's choir and orchestra is a sensual work which evokes the colourful sonorities of Debussy. Divided in five movements, Le Visage nuptial is made up of contrasting musical parts bearing witness of the different influences that have marked Boulez's artistic path. Laura Aikin and Hilary Summers join forces with Pascal Rophé to perform Le Visage nuptial, a masterpiece wich, according to Dominique Jameux, "holds the 'aura' of works that have taken on mythic status."

This concert, broadcast live on medici.tv from the Cité de la musique (Paris, France), will also be the opportunity to discover the French premières of Armonica by Jörg Widmann (with one of the greatest performers of glass harmonica, Christa Schoenfeldinger) and Change by Johannes Boris Borowski. The two works were both premiered under Boulez's baton, respectively in Vienna in 2007 and in Lucerne in 2008.

This concert will be webcast live on citedelamusiquelive.tv and medici.tv.

Picture: © Guy Vivien.