This recording of Pli selon Pli may be considered definitive.
Pierre Boulez worked on this massive composition from 1957 to 1989, and over those years issued different versions and recordings of the work in progress. "Don" and "Improvisation sur Mallarmé III" have been extensively rewritten and are heard here in their final form. Compared to a more concentrated work, such as Le marteau sans maitre, Pli selon Pli is airy and open, more expansive in its pointillism, and more accommodating to silences.
Boulez has simplified many of his procedures and has given the intricacies of his gestures and textures ample time for the listener's comprehension and appreciation. Soprano
Christine Schäfer's expertise with avant-garde vocal techniques holds her in good stead. Her performance -- at times the center of attention, at others an embellishment on the instrumental proceedings -- is flexible and well-suited to the music's changing demands. The
Ensemble InterContemporain, under the composer's direction, runs the gamut of
Boulez's expression. Whether playing delicate figurations in stark isolation or executing complex chains of shifting colors, the orchestra is tight. The recording is remarkable for covering the full audio range, from softly plucked guitar notes to the shocking sforzando chords that open and close the work.