Boulez and the piano
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Fri 25 Apr 202520:15 - 22:15Interval 21:05Grote Zaal
Program
Pierre Boulez Structures pour deux pianos (first book)
John Cage Experiences No. 1
Pierre Boulez Scherzo
Morton Feldman Two Pianos
John Cage Music for Piano 4 & 19
Pierre Boulez Courtes dérives à partir d'Éclat
Frank Zappa Ruth Is Sleeping
Magnus Lindberg Play I
Igor Stravinsky Sonata for two pianos
Credits
Ralph van Raat piano
Gloria Cheng piano
The uncompromising innovator Pierre Boulez is heard in Structures for two pianos: steely music with the raw energy of a young rebel. Scherzo, an unpublished work that Boulez wrote when he was just 19, introduced by Ralph van Raat in 2023, is also full of energy. Courtes dérives à partir d’Éclat is totally different. A mysterious play of colours without a strict structure, in which it is all about pure tonal beauty, just like in Morton Feldman’s enigmatically floating Two Pianos.
Ralph van Raat is a renowned expert on Boulez. In 2023, he performed a recital at the Muziekgebouw entirely devoted to the composer, featuring several unpublished works that Van Raat found in archives. Boulez composed Courtes dérives à partir d’Éclat as a wedding gift for Grammy Award winner Gloria Cheng, as a token of their special bond.
This concert is recorded by:
Programma booklet (Dutch)
