ConcertPulse
Boulez: Le marteau sans maître
Elbphilharmonie, Kleiner Saal (Hamburg)
»Le marteau sans maître« is one of Boulez’s most renowned signature works. He took three surrealist poems by the Frenchman René Char from his eponymous collection as the starting point for this composition for alto voice and six instruments. This is not a traditional setting of text to music though. While the verses are sung, they are also interpreted purely instrumentally – resulting in an almost labyrinthine realm of words and sounds that invite the listener in to search and discover. »Le marteau sans maître« is one of Boulez’s most renowned signature works. He took three surrealist poems by the Frenchman René Char from his eponymous collection as the starting point for this composition for alto voice and six instruments. This is not a traditional setting of text to music though. While the verses are sung, they are also interpreted purely instrumentally – resulting in an almost labyrinthine realm of words and sounds that invite the listener in to search and discover.