Pierre Boulez Masterpieces
French composer, conductor and writer (1925–2016)
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Commemorations 2025 (Birth: Pierre Boulez)
- piano
- classical music
- France
- conductor, composer, musicologist, music theorist, ondist, university teacher, pianist, musician, writer
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Pierre Boulez: most famous pieces
Pierre Boulez (1925-2016) left a body of work of more than 60 compositions. To discover his repertoire, the question is: where to start? Perhaps with his main compositions and most famous works. But what are best known or most important works of Pierre Boulez? How do they fit into his career, throughout his creative activity? Which genre dominates: instrumental music, vocal music or other? And beyond that, in what artistic and musical context: what other composers were at the same time, famous contemporaries of Boulez?
soclassiq offers you here, without bias, a selection of 5 major works to discover and listen to, like “Douze Notations” or “Le Marteau sans maître”. This selection is completed by 5 other compositions that are also quite famous. For sure the best of Pierre Boulez, to make you want to go further with his other pieces or with the work of other composers who have significant similarities with the work of Boulez.
Creative activity
based on dated works only
Duration of the works
(average or estimed)
Number of works
1945
58 years
2002
Number of works
Duration of the works (average or estimed)
Work for choir (16)
Work for soloist (11)
Work for chamber orchestra (13)
Work for orchestra (14)
Work for orchestra with soloist (2)
Electroacoustic music (3)
Other renowned works
1988 - Répons
1974 - Ainsi parla Zarathoustra
1972 - ...Explosante-fixe...
1948 - Le Soleil des eaux
1947 - Le Visage nuptial
This selection of works is not the result of personal preferences or artistic opinion. Selected works come from an exclusive data analysis method developed by soclassiq.
The dating of the works can be precise or sometimes approximate. It may correspond to the premiere date or publication year or completion of the composition (that can be several years after its first public execution).
1920 .. 2010 : the essential composers
1882-1971 Igor Stravinsky °
1865-1957 Jean Sibelius °
1875-1937 Maurice Ravel °
1873-1943 Sergei Rachmaninoff °
1864-1949 Richard Strauss °
1857-1934 Edward Elgar °
1928-2020 Ennio Morricone
1863-1945 Pietro Mascagni
1906-1975 Dmitri Shostakovich °
1903-1989 Vladimir Horowitz
1935- Arvo Pärt
1918-1990 Leonard Bernstein
° : Masterpieces listed
On stage or recorded, listen these essential works Pierre Boulez
Meet the greatest works of classical music
Currently, 25000+ works are listed for a small selection of 101 composers among thousands listed here. Many composers are missing of which some are essential: J. Rodriguo, C. Franck, H. Gorecki, C. Nielsen, J.Corigliano, P. Hindemith, C. Ives, A. Webern ... New catalogues will be processed later to complete this experience of the discovery of the classical music masterpieces. Thus this selection of works will be updated.
Vocal music
Incidental music
Through the ages
Some major genres or forms among the 150 listed
Concerto, Symphony, Rhapsody, Sonata, Lied, Mass, Suite, Trio, Quartet, Quintet, Waltz, March, Operetta, ...
Composed for piano, harpsichord, organ, violin, cello, viola, flute, oboe, bassoon, clarinet, string orchestra, string quartet, ...
The purpose of these pages is to point out few relevant works only among tens of thousands and to provide some chronological references.