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Live from London's Milton Court, musicians from Guildhall School of Music & Drama perform music by Pierre Boulez as Radio 3 pays tribute to the influential composer and conductor.

Boulez’s shattering Second Piano Sonata, and two extraordinary works for solo clarinet, performed by the talented musicians of the Guildhall School and introduced by ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio 3’s Kate Molleson. Pierre Boulez made art without compromise. 'History as it is made by great composers is not a history of conservation, but of destruction - even while cherishing what is destroyed', he wrote, and in his explosive Second Piano Sonata of 1947-8 he set out to blast a path forward through the ruins of the western tradition. Few experiences in 20th century piano music are more visceral – or more bracing. And we’ll hear Boulez explore the clarinet and the amazing things it can do in Domaines (1961) and Dialogue de l’ombre double for clarinet and tape (1985) – written 24 years later. Don’t be misled: this is music that’s small only in the physical sense; a thrilling reminder that as well as being a radical chief conductor of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Symphony Orchestra, Boulez was a creator who split the musical atom - and revelled in the energy it released.

Pierre Boulez: Domaines for solo clarinet
Lily Payne (clarinet)

Pierre Boulez: Piano Sonata No 2
David Palmer (piano)

Pierre Boulez: Dialogue de l’ombre double for clarinet and tape
Benat Erro Diez (clarinet)

Part of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Symphony Orchestra’s Total Immersion day at the Barbican, London.