likened the process to an essence passed down through generations: “I read that in some Egyptian tombs they found corn seeds, and they put those seeds in water and in earth, and the seed produced again. I think that’s a little bit of my process here — the seeds were there, far away, and then I began to conceive these seeds for new thinking, for new development.” Although it was his original plan, in the mid-1970s, to create new versions of all twelve original piano Notations, Boulez’s busy life and other compositions intervened. Nos. I-IV were premiered as a group in 1980, and VII followed in 1999. Each one he wrote seemingly became more complex (in III, for instance, almost every string player onstage has a separate — and slightly different — part to play, creating at times a shimmering sound texture). The composer has said that they can be performed in any sequence, while offering some suggested ordering, one of which Franz Welser-Möst has chosen for this evening’s performance: I-VII-IV-III-II. Music, for Boulez, comes to life in the moment of performance. For him, listening, like performing, requires concentration and effort and commitment. While actively listening tonight, let us celebrate the extraordinary gift of commitment and intellect and friendship, manifest in his own music, which Boulez has bestowed upon The Cleveland Orchestra and this entire community since he first came to town fift y years ago. —Eric Sellen
WORKING TOGETHER FOR A BETTER TOMORROW. Forest City is proud to support organizations like The Cleveland Orchestra that are making a positive impact in our community. www.forestcity.net
Severance Hall 2014-15
About the Music
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