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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A new, mellower Marteau, June 25, 2005
On its comparatively rare appearances in concert, Pierre Boulez's Le Marteau sans maitre--the work that made his name as a composer--continues to divide audiences, some seeing it as a perfect example of sterile post-war modernism, others echoing the positive reaction of figures such as Igor Stravinsky and Otto Klemperer, who saw it as a vital contribution to post-war art. The composer has now made his fourth recording, examining his early music from a vantage point fifty years later on, perhaps providing a good time to re-evaluate the work.
Previous recordings (particularly the early recordings) have tended to emphasise the work's spikiness as well as the glittering colours that come from its remarkable alto-register ensemble (flute, guitar, viola, vibraphone, xylorimba and percussion). However, Boulez's new reading focuses more on the music's lyrical aspects, perhaps siting it in a context of late Debussy and song cycles such as Ravel's Mallarmé poems. Hillary Summers' voice seems to have been chosen specifically with that in mind--warm and creamy, it suits very well Boulez's gentler tempo and emphasis on the sensual over the radical. Perhaps this recording will feel too low-voltage for those used to the early recordings of the work, but, on the other hand, it might also make new friends for the work (never before has Bourreaux de solitude sounded so lyrical, so French).
Given the manner in which the performance of Marteau refracts early Boulez through a late-Boulez prism, it's perhaps appropriate that the couplings are of comparatively recent works. Dérive 1 is a luscious miniature for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, vibraphone and piano, six minutes of pure wallowing in sound. The largely unrelated Dérive 2 (making its debut on disc) is a little more problematical. Written for a larger ensemble (cor anglais, clarinet, bassoon, horn, violin, viola, cello, vibraphone, marimbaphone, harp and piano) it takes the 'never-ending spiral' structure of Sur Incises, and works out its material over twenty-five minutes of oscillations between various rhythmic figures. At times the music sounds delectable, but I find that after a while it starts to pall--it's less fun than Sur Incises and sometimes the progress of the work seems rather arbitrary.
The performances are mostly exemplary, as one would expect from Boulez's own ensemble, though I marginally prefer the composer's earlier recording of Dérive 1 on Erato. Convinced Marteau admirers will no doubt want to hear this distinctly different interpretation of the work--others may feel differently.
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24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bravo Mr Boulez!!!, May 13, 2005
Le Marteau Sans maître is one of the most important works of the Twentieth Century . It is a work that symbolize, by its austerity and rationalist process of composition , the essence of the second vanguard of the century. After years of a Neo Classical process (1920-1950) , the new generation, born in the twenties , rediscovering Webern and Schoenberg , were ready to change the history. The serialism was at its peak: timbres , durations, dynamics, everything was pre determinate. Le Marteau sans Maitre can be read as a new way to see one of the most important works of the first half of the twentieth century: Pierrot Lunaire, by Arnold Schoenberg. Schoenberg wrote this work in three parts, with different subjects in each of the three parts. Pierre Boulez handle with three parts too: There are three songs based in three poems by Rene Char. And each song has one instrumental precedent or commentary. But the order isn't easy to understand: Lets take the three first movements of the work:it begins with a intricate fast scherzo: it is one precedent of the song L'artisanat furieux. Than we have a commentary of another song :Bourreaux de solitude. Than for the first time one of the songs: L'artisanat furieux. This one is a clear homage to Schoenberg. As in the seventh song of Pierrot Lunaire , we have hear a music to voice and solo flute. And as in Pierrot Lunaire, Boulez controls the extension of the pauses between the movements of the work. The sounds of Le Marteau sans maitre include exotic sounds like the African ( and very popular in Bahia-Brazil) Agôgô and the Caribbean Maracas. And the end of the work evokes something of oriental music. The surrealist texts are placed in a very sophisticated atmosphere . The result is fantastic. At the end we have a fusion between the voice and the instruments. If you don't have to play or to conduct this work, forget all the difficulties of the score. Enjoy the sounds, the ambience and the fantastic relations between text and music.
Before this recent performance Pierre Boulez recorded several times this work. There are two of these versions that are remarkable: one with the mezzo Jeanne Deroubaix ( the flutist in this record was the fantastic Severino Gazzeloni) and other with the famous Canadian Mezzo Yvonne Minton ( with fantastic musicians as the percussionist Sylvio Gualda and the flutist Michel Debost). I would like to remember that there is one very interesting old recording ( in LP) conducted by Robert Craft, and curiously this is the only one to follow the crazy metronomic marcs of the score. Boulez himself never followed his metronomic indications, and this new recording is the slower of all. The young musicians of the Ensemble Intercontemporain play this music as if it were easy. As never before we have hear a fluency and one constant beauty of sound. The Mezzo Soprano Hilary Summers has a beautiful voice and her intonation is simply perfect. Her range is perfect for this music. In short: this is the most fluent and the most perfect performance of Le Marteau sans Maître . And technically the sound of the recording is outstanding . As a bonus we have two other masterpieces: Dérive 1( 1984) and the wonderful Dérive 2 ( concluded in 2002). This recent composition has some instrumental colors of a profound beauty. Written for 11 instruments, it shares the atmosphere of Sur Incises and of Répons. Dérive 2 is a testimony of the energy of this young 80 years old composer. Maybe the most important musician of the second half of the twentieth century. This recording gives you the opportunity to know compositions that aren't easy. But no one can deny that these are works among the really more important works of the last 50 years. These works deserve your attention .
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Boulez Returns to Conducting Boulez!, December 9, 2005
Pierre Boulez has become a name synonymous with masterful conducting of clarity, revealing inner voices of a work, while transforming the classics into thrillingly alive and refreshing experiences. His Mahler, Wagner, Debussy, Stravinsky, Bartok etc performances and recordings rarely fail to open vistas to those of us who thought we knew favorite scores well. It should be no surprise then that his new recording of his now 'old modern works' sound soothingly new under his baton.
'Le marteau sans maître, for alto, alto flute, guitar, vibes, xylorimba, percussion & viola' was a success at its premiere way back in 1955 - music that changed the palette of sound and timbre yet remained accessible. Here Boulez finesses his old recordings and in this splendid, clear, transformative reading confirms that this work is a masterpiece. The Ensemble Intercontemporain plays as though the members grow out of Boulez' fingertips and Hilary Summers lush and perfectly focused mezzo-soprano voice traverses the impossible melismata with ease and conveys the beauty of the poetry. The performance is a knockout!
Dérive I, for flute, clarinet, piano, vibes, violin & cello and
Dérive II, for chamber ensemble are later works and now find far more interest than intial hearings. The palette of sound and rhythmic variations is startling and beautifully performed. This is a fine recording on all counts and one that certainly belongs in the collection of those who follow Boulez in all his myriad accomplishments. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, December 05
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~ Ensemble Intercontemporain
by Alex Ross
~ Fred Sherry
~ Pierre Boulez
by Pierre Boulez 
