Boulez conducts Bartók, Stravinsky & Ravel – with Daniel Barenboim

Two giants of the classical music world join the Wiener Philharmoniker for the opening concert of the 2008 Salzburg Festival: Pierre Boulez and Daniel Barenboim. The programme features three dazzling masterpieces from the early 20th century: Ravel’s shimmering Valses nobles et sentimentales, Bartók’s explosive concerto and Stravinsky’s complete score for his 1910 ballet The Firebird — his breakthrough work, alive with rhythmic bite, orchestral colour and raw theatrical energy. Few conductors possessed Boulez’s ear for this repertoire, and with the Wiener Philharmoniker in full brilliance and Barenboim at the keyboard, the result is an unmissable concert offering a thrilling snapshot of an epochal moment in music history.