"Hyperprism"

Paper Summary:

This essay compares two interpretations of the same piece of music by two different conductors set twenty five years apart. The music in question is "Hyperprism," an experimental piece by Edgar Varese. The two conductors are Boulez and Chailly.

From the Paper:

"Edgar Varese wrote "Hyperprsim" in 1923. The piece is scored for woodwind, brass and a large array of non-pitched percussions. There are two notable performances of this piece: one by Pierre Boulez and the other by Riccardo Chailly. It is interesting to compare the two performances because Pierre Boulez revived the interest in Varese's music with his recordings from early 80s while Chailly offers the performances of the same pieces some quarter of the century later. The piece opens with a short percussion introduction before a trombone performs a short motif (0:10). Even though both conductors have similar tempi, Boulez takes this rhythmical opening less comfortable than Chailly does. At this first contact with the piece Boulez seems to be less secure in his understanding of the piece than Chailly is."

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