In celebration of the New York Philharmonic’s late Music Director Pierre Boulez’s 100th birthday, the NY Philharmonic Shelby White & Leon Levy Digital Archives released over 13,000 pages of archived materials from his tenure.
Born on March 26, 1925, Boulez’ archived photos capture planning papers, personal correspondence, audience response surveys and more, providing a glimpse of Boulez’s work and his commitment that brought audiences to the Philharmonic’s stage. Some highlights from the collection include a handwritten letter by Boulez explaining his selection of repertoire for Stravinsky’s death in April 1971 and a letter criticizing Boulez’s inclusion of Varèse’s “Amériques” and the Music Director’s explanation of reasoning. The release of these documents is the largest launch of new materials by the Digital Archives since 2017.
Boulez left a historic mark on the NY Philharmonic, including the introduction of Rug Concerts and Prospective Encounters – the Philharmonic’s contemporary-music series providing opportunities for audiences to experience performances in a unique manner. The celebration of the Music Director will continue in October in a subscription program led by Esa-Pekka Salonen, featuring works by Boulez.
To view the New York Philharmonic digital archives of Pierre Boulez, visit here. For more information on the Shelby White & Leon Levy Digital Archives, visit here.
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