Pierre Boulez at the Venice Biennale, where he was awarded the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement in October 2012.

Happy 89th Birthday Pierre Boulez!

Ivan Fedele, director of the Biennale’s music sector, on Boulez:

“This is a recognition of the absolute value of an artist who has lived through the history of contemporary music, offering the entire world compositions that, in the opinion of musicologists and artists from around the world, are true masterpieces of modernity.

The Maestro’s work has also expressed itself in the theoretical field with exemplary books that have served as a guide and model for generations of young composers. Furthermore, as a conductor, Boulez has offered interpretations of the classical and contemporary repertoire that are now considered milestones.”