Pierre Boulez – composer and conductor, opera legend and critic, mentor of budding musicians and incisive, analytical writer – led the MCO in one of its most successful opera projects. From the House of the Dead, a co-production among the Wiener Festwochen, Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, and the Holland Festival, was named Opera Production of the Year in 2007, attained the highest accolades from both the audience and the press, and was a milestone in the history of the orchestra. In the same year, Boulez stepped in for Claudio Abbado to conduct the Lucerne Festival Orchestra at Carnegie Hall in New York. In May 2011, he will conduct a joint MCO Academy project with works by Ravel, Schoenberg and Stravinsky. Pierre Boulez spoke with On Tour about the meaning of artistic freedom and the training of young talent.
You work with very few orchestras. Why is the MCO among them? Pierre Boulez: I see the Mahler Chamber Orchestra as one of the orchestras with an exceptionally strong will to play music at an outstanding level. It is still a young orchestra, full of ideals and enthusiasm, and that inspires me. Our collaboration in the summer of 2007, during the production of From the House of the Dead, was filled with energy and freshness. The results were stellar.
35 years ago, you said that, as a conductor, you wanted to change the music world from within. What led you to this statement, and have you succeeded? Pierre Boulez: Many things have changed over the years, and the music world is very different now from what it was before. It’s much less stuffy and conservative. There have been changes especially in the field of contemporary music, but also in how musicians perceive themselves.
Can the creation of independent ensembles such as the MCO be seen as a response to the current state of things? Pierre Boulez: Of course one can say that. There are actually quite a few musicians and ensembles that have succeeded in creating new structures for their work. Limitations – fixed subscriptions, for example – often lead to compromises and routines to which these ensembles are not bound.
The economic crisis seems to have hit the arts sector. What do you see as the greatest threat to artistic freedom – especially for independent ensembles — when financial possibilities are becoming increasingly limited? Pierre Boulez: I believe that support for the arts should come from the state. It is especially important in music, because music is a costly endeavour and does not, as in the case of museums, yield a comparable profit. A concert ends with the final note and must then be continually re-created. Independent ensembles could be especially hard-hit, but I have faith that it is precisely the flexibility of their structures that will help them through the crisis.
You once said that education is the most important thing that can demonstrate how music is not a luxury, but a necessity. How does one show that music is a widely-perceived need, instead of something that, in light of tightening budgets, needs to be justified? Pierre Boulez: Music education is a very important topic. Many people, especially politicians, think that music is superfluous. We have to convince them that it is an important part of our culture. Music education needs to begin at a young age. It is our duty to our children. But this issue has already evolved significantly: there are now special concerts for children, child-friendly concerts, and many related educational activities. I would say that it is also important to make music-related media – along the lines of a media centre, where one can listen to all sorts of music – more accessible, but that of course requires money.
Your next project with the MCO gives students from the Orchesterzentrum | NRW the opportunity to play with the orchestra and learn in a professional setting. What is your experience with the training of aspiring orchestral musicians? Pierre Boulez: Solid, practical training is also very important. At the Lucerne Festival’s Academy, I established a good balance between the Academy’s own concerts and the opportunity for the young musicians to listen to the finest orchestras of the world. Naturally, such things can only be achieved at a festival. The pieces that we work on at the Academy are truly difficult. The expectations are very high, but that is also what the students want. It’s wonderful that the MCO has established its own Academy; now it can nurture future orchestral musicians as well.
