The Ensemble Intercontemporain commemorates the late Pierre Boulez – composer, conductor, polemicist and founder of the ensemble – with a programme of pieces he conducted during more than 40 years of appearances at the Proms. His Anthèmes 2, for violin and electronics, contrasts with the exuberant vocal setting of avian poetry by E. E. Cummings, performed by the BBC Singers.
Around these come Bartók’s earthy Village Scenes and Elliott Carter’s Penthode – written for tonight’s ensemble – a slow movement of geological power that has been compared to the steady glide of tectonic plates.
