Boulez: Le Marteau sans maître, etc.

1	Le marteau sans maître, f
2	Le marteau sans maître, f
3	Le marteau sans maître, f
4	Le marteau sans maître, f
5	Le marteau sans maître, f
6	Le marteau sans maître, f
7	Le marteau sans maître, f
8	Le marteau sans maître, f
9	Le marteau sans maître, f
10	Dérive I, for flute, clar
11	Dérive II, for chamber en
Boulez: Le Marteau sans maître, etc.
1.	Le marteau sans maître, for alto, alto flute, guitar, vibes, xylorimba, percussion & viola 38:37
	Composed by Pierre Boulez
	Conducted by Pierre Boulez
	Performed by Ensemble Intercontemporain and Hilary Summers
2.	Dérive I, for flute, clarinet, piano, vibes, violin & cello 5:53
	Composed by Pierre Boulez
	Conducted by Pierre Boulez
	Performed by Ensemble Intercontemporain
3.	Dérive II, for chamber ensemble 24:33
	Composed by Pierre Boulez
	Conducted by Pierre Boulez
	Performed by Ensemble Intercontemporain

Barnes & Noble

In the first half of the 20th century, the innovations of Debussy, Stravinsky, Schoenberg, and other modernist composers seemed to push music as far as it could go. But the following generation -- the avant-garde that asserted itself after World War II -- managed to go further still. Much of the resulting music was dry and abstract in its experimental rigor, but the best works of the period still have an undiminished expressive power. Long regarded as a summit of its time, Pierre Boulez's Le Marteau sans maître (The Hammer Without a Master; 1953-55) creates an unprecedented world of sound with its evocative instrumentation: flute, guitar, viola, a large percussion battery (vibraphone, xylorimba, and many other instruments), and a mezzo-soprano soloist singing Surrealist verses by René Char in four of the work's nine movements. The mysterious beauty of the tone colors mitigates the relatively severe harmonies, and the work's structure -- in which instrumental movements prepare for, comment upon, or respond to the vocal ones -- is an intellectually elegant tour de force. Generally considered Boulez's greatest masterpiece, Le Marteau has been only sporadically available on CD; this is the work's first new recording in many years, prepared in honor of the composer's 80th birthday and the 50th anniversary of Le Marteau's first performance. Two contrasting chamber works by Boulez -- Dérive 1 (1984) is concise and poetically tense, while Dérive 2 (1988/2002) splatters energy in all directions -- provide compelling glimpses of the mature composer's continued brilliance, and everything is performed here with daunting precision by the Ensemble Intercontemporain under Boulez's baton. If your collection has room for only one disc of music from the postwar avant-garde, this would be a superb choice. Scott Paulin

All Music Guide

Of all Pierre Boulez's works, only "Le Marteau sans maître" (1953-1955) has achieved worldwide recognition as a modern masterpiece, partly because of the praise lavished on it by fellow composers and critics, but also because the public responded to the piece with uncommon openness to its rarefied expression and fascination with its fresh timbral palette. Yet the piece is notoriously difficult, and few performances have been satisfactorily recorded. This 2002 recording by the Ensemble InterContemporain may be considered an authoritative rendition, most obviously because of Boulez's supervision, but also because his musicians have plainly rehearsed it to a point of familiarity that admits expressive playing, beyond the mere task of getting pitches, rhythms, and dynamics right. Mezzo soprano Hilary Summers admirably delivers the angular gestures and melismas with restraint and controlled smoothness, and the ensemble is fully connected in its timing to her phrasing. "Dérive 1" (1984) and "Dérive 2" (1988-2002) are purely instrumental works, built up from abstract source material and elaborated through rather abstruse procedures. While mildly interesting, these pieces have none of the magical sounds found in "Le Marteau," and may be taken or left as nonessential filler. DG's sound quality is exceptional. Blair Sanderson

New York Times

This is extraordinary music extraordinarily played (by the Ensemble Intercontemporain) and sung, vividly recorded and conducted by a master. Bernard Holland

Gramophone

This CD is notable for a new recording of Le Marteau sans maître: a score now half a century old and sounding more urgently volatile than ever in this superbly crafted performance. Arnold Whitall