Album insights
Daniel Barenboim and the late French composer and conductor Pierre Boulez shared a friendship and musical collaboration enduring over half a century, founded on mutual respect and remarkable artistic admiration. Their partnership began in 1964, sparking Boulez's deep passion for the 20th-century classical avant-garde in the young Barenboim, which led to an enduring fascination with the second Viennese school and new music. Thus, it is not surprising that in 2007, Barenboim allowed Boulez, the only foreign conductor, to lead the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra he initiated. In remembrance of his dear friend, Barenboim named a chamber music hall at the Barenboim-Said Academy after Pierre Boulez and released a tribute album titled "Hommage à Boulez" on Deutsche Grammophon. This double CD album features works recorded at the 2012 BBC Proms in the Royal Albert Hall and additional compositions conducted by Boulez himself at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin.