Pierre boulez – “le marteau sans maître”

Performers: HELENA SOROKINA (contralto, Latvia-Austria) PAULIUS GEFENAS (flute) MONIKA KIKNADZĖ (viola) ROKAS JURKUS (guitar) SIGITAS GAILIUS (percussion) LUKAS BUDZINAUSKAS (percussion) ANDRIUS REKAŠIUS (percussion) Conductor KAROLIS VARIAKOJIS

The traditional autumn event, the contemporary music festival "Iš Arti", presents six events from November 10th to 21st, revealing the field of contemporary music – from reflections on the modernist tradition to new stage forms, which will allow listeners to experience the diverse world of contemporary music.

The concert on November 20th will feature the music of one of the most prominent avant-garde creators of the 20th century, Pierre Boulez.

At the initiative of conductor Karolis Variakojis, P. Boulez's work "Le Marteau sans Maître" will be presented to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the composer's death. Although we celebrated the centenary of P. Boulez last year, his work is rarely performed in Lithuania, so one of the goals of this project is to contribute to its wider dissemination.

"Le Marteau sans Maître" (1955) is one of the most famous works by the French composer P. Boulez and is considered a masterpiece of 20th-century musical modernism. The work – a nine-part cycle for alto and an ensemble of six instruments based on texts by the surrealist René Char – opens up new possibilities for musical expression, combining complex structure, vivid rhythm, and revealing a kaleidoscope of timbres and a subtly coordinated vocal and instrumental texture. The premiere of this work took place in 1955 at the contemporary music festival in Baden-Baden and received great acclaim, and was later performed and recorded many times internationally, including by the ensemble "Ensemble InterContemporain" and soloist Hilary Summers. "Le Marteau sans Maître" is still considered a radical icon of modernism to this day.

Organizer VšĮ "Iš Arti"

The project is funded by the Lithuanian Council for Culture

Main partner Kaunas State Philharmonic

Partner Kaunas City Chamber Theatre, Lithuanian Composers' Union