Pierre Boulez Essentials: The Conductor

One of modern music's most influential musicians, Pierre Boulez, as a conductor, led ensembles such as the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and Cleveland Orchestra, as well as his own Ensemble Intercontemporain. His Wagner Ring cycle at Bayreuth in 1976 (directed by Patrice Chéreau) was a major event, and in his later years, Boulez conducted an increasingly broad repertoire that embraced Mahler, Richard Strauss, and Szymanowski. He remains a divisive figure, but his musical vision is indisputably single-minded.