Marking Boulez’s centenary and in advance of the Monday 23 June performance of his “Le Marteau sans maître”, a screening of a fascinating 1968 documentary about the work featuring Boulez himself, plus an appreciation of director Barrie Gavin (1935–2024).

This 1968 BBC Workshop documentary presents an analysis and performance of “Le Marteau sans maître”, specially adapted and designed for television – hence, Tele-Marteau.

On screening the documentary for the first time, the BBC described its subject thus: “The film demonstrates Boulez’s ideas that music can be played in a number of different combinations or orders. For the first showing of Tele-Marteau the nine sections of musical analysis will be shown together, followed by the nine movements of music which they complement. If however the film is shown again the order can be extensively shuffled, and each different running order should provide a different viewpoint.

“Le Marteau sans Maître by Pierre Boulez has been described as the most influential piece of music to be written in the last twenty years. Igor Stravinsky called it the one undisputed masterpiece of the post-war era”.

A BBC tv-S.W.F. co-production
(Colour)

Pierre Boulez commentary and musical direction
Hilmar Schatz associate director
Barrie Gavin director
Yvonne Minton mezzo-soprano
Aurele Nicolet flute
Serge Collot viola
Anton Stingl guitar
Claude Ricou vibraphone
Georges van Gucht xylorimba
Jean Batigne percussion

The event also includes an appreciation of director Barrie Gavin, prolific filmmaker and longstanding associate of the Aldeburgh Festival.

It takes place in the elegant and welcoming surroundings of Aldeburgh's cinema.