Incises ("Interpolations") for solo piano was composed in 1994 as a test piece for the Umberto Micheli Piano Competition, where it was first performed on 21 October 1994. Boulez revised it in 2001. Incises was Boulez's first work for solo piano since his Third Piano Sonata of 1955–57/63. The piece lasts less than ten minutes.
The work plays with contrasts of gestures and textures, for instance, repeated pitches or chords in an even tempo interrupted by violent melodic arcs, or sparse chordal interjections without discernible rhythm over long held sonorities.[2]
Reviewing of a 2005 performance of Incises, Tim Page described it: "Incises is charged with a bright, cold, hard brilliance, like a spray of crushed ice. It is dense with events – even when it is silent for a moment, Boulez's music never really 'rests' – but also far more generous in its emotional expression than much of his earlier work."[3]
Based on the material of Incises, Sur Incises is a two-movement work (the movements are called "Moment I" and "Moment II") for three pianos, three harps, and three percussion parts, which use a variety of tuned percussion instruments: vibraphone, marimba, glockenspiel, steel drums, tubular bells, and crotales. Here the sounds of the piano in Incises are broken into component parts played by the harps and percussion, and they are deployed across space by spreading the three groups apart in the performance area. This kind of reworking of an earlier piece is characteristic of Boulez, the first instance being Structures.
The sheer riot of color is engrossing. As the music unfolds, episodes of sustained, quasi-lyrical dreaminess alternate abruptly with outbursts of pulsating intensity that suggest "organized delirium", in the term Mr. Boulez has used to describe an effect he is after in his works. When the performance ended ... the audience erupted with its own brand of organized delirium. Perhaps after a couple of decades of neo-Romantic works by composers craving appreciation, the audience found it bracing to hear Mr. Boulez's wildly colorful, almost crazed and uncompromisingly difficult music.
[Boulez's] choice of like but distinct instruments, with the percussionists playing vibraphones and marimba most of the time and the ensemble well spread out, allows him to use his astonishing ear to recreate effects of harmonic, timbral and spatial echo for which in earlier works he had needed electronic means. The command of musical energy and the sense of drama are also spectacular. At least the first two of the high-speed chases are thrilling, and there are marvelous moments when steel drums come in with their exotic disintonations, or when the harps fall silent for an ominous summons of pianos and bells.
[t]he piece is a narration about sound, about the interplay and transformation of the timbres of the pianos, the harps, and the percussion instruments, into one gigantic super-instrument of infinite resonance and reflection. The drama of the music is how Boulez manipulates his musical textures to create moments of stasis and irresistible energy, and everything in between.
Service described a 2008 performance: "There's a polish and a voluptuousness about this music that's instantly appealing and gripping for the whole experience of the piece. A packed Festival Hall gave Boulez a rock-star reception after the music's coda."[9]
Of the two works, Allan Kozinn preferred Incises, writing: "that work's Romanticism becomes portentousness in the update, and its sheer virtuosity have given way to abstraction and clockwork precision."[10]
^ abcRadice, Mark A. (2012). Chamber Music: An Essential History. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press. p. 279. ISBN978-0472051656. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
^Page, Tim (21 February 2005). "Marilyn Nonken's Eloquent Ives". Washington Post. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
^Tommasini, Anthony (14 November 1999). "Boulez Gets a Chance To Make Converts". New York Times. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
^Griffiths, Paul (16 January 1999). "From Grit to Gleaming Pearl, Through Boulez's Alchemy". New York Times.
^Clements, Andrew (6 September 2004). "EIC/Boulez". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
^Griffiths, Paul (22 November 1999). "Boulez in His New Role: Relaxed, Jovial and Busy". New York Times. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
^Service, Tom (22 September 2011). "Pierre Boulez: Rebel with a cause". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
^Service, Tom (12 December 2008). "Why Boulez is like a bait ball". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
^Kozinn, Allan (20 September 2003). "A Pioneer of Modernism Who's Also Old-Fashioned". New York Times. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
Further readingedit
Boulez, Pierre. 2001. Incises pour piano (version 2001). Vienna: Universal Edition. UE 31 966. ISBN3-7024-1186-0
Fink, Wolfgang. 2000. Boulez: Sur Incises, programme booklet. Hamburg: Deutsche Grammophon CD 463 475-2.
External linksedit
Universal Edition: Incises
Universal Edition: Sur Incises
Pierre Boulez: Sur Incises: A Lesson by Pierre Boulez, Medici.tv (in French)
incises, 1994, 2001, 1996, 1998, related, works, french, composer, pierre, boulez, pitches, used, based, sacher, hexachord, same, those, used, rows, répons, messagesquisse, dérive, ensemble, intercontemporain, after, performance, barbican, hall, london, april,. Incises 1994 2001 and Sur Incises 1996 1998 are two related works of the French composer Pierre Boulez The pitches of the row used in Incises and Sur Incises are based on the Sacher hexachord the same as those used in the rows for Repons Messagesquisse and Derive 1 1 The Ensemble InterContemporain after a performance of Sur Incises in Barbican Hall London April 2015 Contents 1 Incises 2 Sur Incises 3 Sources 4 Further reading 5 External linksIncises editIncises Interpolations for solo piano was composed in 1994 as a test piece for the Umberto Micheli Piano Competition where it was first performed on 21 October 1994 Boulez revised it in 2001 Incises was Boulez s first work for solo piano since his Third Piano Sonata of 1955 57 63 The piece lasts less than ten minutes The work plays with contrasts of gestures and textures for instance repeated pitches or chords in an even tempo interrupted by violent melodic arcs or sparse chordal interjections without discernible rhythm over long held sonorities 2 Reviewing of a 2005 performance of Incises Tim Page described it Incises is charged with a bright cold hard brilliance like a spray of crushed ice It is dense with events even when it is silent for a moment Boulez s music never really rests but also far more generous in its emotional expression than much of his earlier work 3 Sur Incises editBoulez wrote Sur Incises a few years later and dedicated it to Paul Sacher on his 90th birthday It was premiered on 30 August 1998 by the Ensemble InterContemporain conducted by David Robertson in Edinburgh s Usher Hall The piece lasts about forty minutes It was awarded the Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition given by the University of Louisville 2 Based on the material of Incises Sur Incises is a two movement work the movements are called Moment I and Moment II for three pianos three harps and three percussion parts which use a variety of tuned percussion instruments vibraphone marimba glockenspiel steel drums tubular bells and crotales Here the sounds of the piano in Incises are broken into component parts played by the harps and percussion and they are deployed across space by spreading the three groups apart in the performance area This kind of reworking of an earlier piece is characteristic of Boulez the first instance being Structures Anthony Tommasini described a 1999 performance of Sur Incises 4 The sheer riot of color is engrossing As the music unfolds episodes of sustained quasi lyrical dreaminess alternate abruptly with outbursts of pulsating intensity that suggest organized delirium in the term Mr Boulez has used to describe an effect he is after in his works When the performance ended the audience erupted with its own brand of organized delirium Perhaps after a couple of decades of neo Romantic works by composers craving appreciation the audience found it bracing to hear Mr Boulez s wildly colorful almost crazed and uncompromisingly difficult music Paul Griffiths heard echoes of Debussy s L isle joyeuse in Sur Incises 5 while others have noted its debt to Stravinsky s Les Noces 6 or Bartok s Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion 2 Griffiths described the work 7 Boulez s choice of like but distinct instruments with the percussionists playing vibraphones and marimba most of the time and the ensemble well spread out allows him to use his astonishing ear to recreate effects of harmonic timbral and spatial echo for which in earlier works he had needed electronic means The command of musical energy and the sense of drama are also spectacular At least the first two of the high speed chases are thrilling and there are marvelous moments when steel drums come in with their exotic disintonations or when the harps fall silent for an ominous summons of pianos and bells Tom Service wrote in The Guardian that 8 t he piece is a narration about sound about the interplay and transformation of the timbres of the pianos the harps and the percussion instruments into one gigantic super instrument of infinite resonance and reflection The drama of the music is how Boulez manipulates his musical textures to create moments of stasis and irresistible energy and everything in between Service described a 2008 performance There s a polish and a voluptuousness about this music that s instantly appealing and gripping for the whole experience of the piece A packed Festival Hall gave Boulez a rock star reception after the music s coda 9 Of the two works Allan Kozinn preferred Incises writing that work s Romanticism becomes portentousness in the update and its sheer virtuosity have given way to abstraction and clockwork precision 10 Sources edit Campbell Edward 2010 Boulez Music and Philosophy p 206 ISBN 978 0 521 86242 4 a b c Radice Mark A 2012 Chamber Music An Essential History Ann Arbor MI University of Michigan Press p 279 ISBN 978 0472051656 Retrieved 19 January 2016 Page Tim 21 February 2005 Marilyn Nonken s Eloquent Ives Washington Post Retrieved 19 January 2016 Tommasini Anthony 14 November 1999 Boulez Gets a Chance To Make Converts New York Times Retrieved 19 January 2016 Griffiths Paul 16 January 1999 From Grit to Gleaming Pearl Through Boulez s Alchemy New York Times Clements Andrew 6 September 2004 EIC Boulez The Guardian Retrieved 19 January 2016 Griffiths Paul 22 November 1999 Boulez in His New Role Relaxed Jovial and Busy New York Times Retrieved 19 January 2016 Service Tom 22 September 2011 Pierre Boulez Rebel with a cause The Guardian Retrieved 19 January 2016 Service Tom 12 December 2008 Why Boulez is like a bait ball The Guardian Retrieved 19 January 2016 Kozinn Allan 20 September 2003 A Pioneer of Modernism Who s Also Old Fashioned New York Times Retrieved 19 January 2016 Further reading editBoulez Pierre 2001 Incises pour piano version 2001 Vienna Universal Edition UE 31 966 ISBN 3 7024 1186 0 Fink Wolfgang 2000 Boulez Sur Incises programme booklet Hamburg Deutsche Grammophon CD 463 475 2 External links editUniversal Edition Incises Universal Edition Sur Incises Pierre Boulez Sur Incises A Lesson by Pierre Boulez Medici tv in French Listen to Sur Incises on Jiwa nbsp This article about a classical composition is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Incises amp oldid 1219837613, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
