Boulez At 100: NY Phil Digital Archives Releases Thousands Of Pages Of Documents From Former Music Director's Tenure

Today marks the 100th birthday of the late Pierre Boulez (March 26, 1925–January 5, 2016), the New York Philharmonic's Music Director from 1971–77. In commemoration of his centennial, the New York Philharmonic Shelby White & Leon Levy Digital Archives has digitized and made available more than 13,000 pages of archival materials from his tenure.

Comprising personal correspondence, planning papers, audience response surveys, and more, the documents provide a snapshot of the musical movements of the era, and of the innovative ways in which Boulez brought them to the Philharmonic's stage. The release of these documents — the largest launch of new materials by the Digital Archives since 2017 — was funded in part by the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation.

Highlights from the collection include:

• A handwritten letter by Boulez explaining his selection of repertoire for the concert marking Stravinsky's death in April 1971. “Why Petrushka?” Boulez wrote. “Stravinsky inscribed his face in contemporary music — this insoluble mixture of rigor, aggression, poetry, good humor, familiarity, tenderness, pessimism, and melancholy.”

• A letter criticizing Boulez's inclusion of Varèse's Amériques (a work that the NY Phil performed earlier this month, led by incoming Oscar L. Tang and H.M. Agnes Hsu-Tang Music and Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel) on a 1975 concert, and Boulez's explanation of his choice.

A transformative composer, conductor, programmer, and educator, Pierre Boulez left an indelible mark on the New York Philharmonic, introducing Rug Concerts as well as Prospective Encounters, two contemporary-music series that provided opportunities for audiences to experience performances in novel environments and to interact with the musicians. The NY Phil has celebrated Boulez's multifaceted legacy in different ways in the 2024–25 season — through a side-by-side performance with Juilliard students; a remounting of a Boulez-curated program; and C'est Boulez!, an archival exhibit in David Geffen Hall's Bruno Walter Gallery.

The celebration continues in the 2025–26 season with back-to-back subscription programs in October, both led by Esa-Pekka Salonen, featuring works by Boulez. The first includes selections from Boulez's Notations, performed by pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard; the second includes the New York Premiere of a new production of Boulez's Rituel in memoriam Bruno Maderna, featuring original choreography by Benjamin Millepied performed by L.A. Dance Project in their NY Phil debut. 

About the Digital Archives

The New York Philharmonic Shelby White & Leon Levy Digital Archives was launched in February 2011, and currently comprises more than four million pages, including printed programs, marked conducting scores, business documents, and photographs. Growing continually, the scope of the online collection is every document in the New York Philharmonic Archives from 1842 through 1978. This includes correspondence, marked scores and parts, contracts, and minutes from meetings of the Board of Directors — as well as all public documents from 1970 through today (e.g., marketing materials, press releases, and annual reports).