Nicolas Oboukhov, Révelation
Pierre Boulez, Piano Sonata n° 1
George Benjamin, Shadowlines
George Benjamin, Divisions for four hands
Maurice Ravel, Le Tombeau de Couperin

Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Sir George Benjamin (piano)

The central voice in Notations, directed by Marion Kalter, is that of Pierre Boulez (1925–2016). In the spring of 2005, on the occasion of his 80^th birthday, the composer, conductor, and theorist sat down for an extensive interview with journalist Claude Glayman at IRCAM in Paris. Produced by Frédéric Luzy and filmed by Michel Follin, the result is a unique historical document: four hours of conversation about a life devoted to and shaped by music. Marion Kalter has transformed this material into an independent film through a tightly edited, rhythmically structured montage.

Boulez recalls formative encounters, artistic collaborations, and intellectual companions: Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Luciano Berio, Nadia Boulanger, Elliott Carter, Franco Donatoni, Pascal Dusapin, Daniel Harding, György Ligeti, Philippe Manoury, Olivier Messiaen, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Luigi Nono, Maurizio Pollini, Paul Sacher, Georg Solti, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Leonard Bernstein, among others. These names speak for themselves—yet Notations goes further. The composer’s voice is interwoven with images that accompanied him over decades: photographs by Marion Kalter.

The filmic narrative is complemented by musical excerpts: Boulez’s Douze Notations pour piano (1945), recorded by the composer himself for ORF in 1992, provides a sonic foundation. In both the introduction and conclusion, Marion Kalter speaks in her own voice—as an artist, contemporary witness, and close observer of one of the most significant musicians of the 20^th century. Her personal reflection on the long-standing collaboration with Boulez becomes a tribute to listening, seeing—and remembering.

Ludwig van Beethoven, Bagatelles (extracts)
Pierre Boulez, Notations (extracts)
Alban Berg, Piano Sonata op. 1
Pierre Boulez, Piano Sonata n° 1
György Kurtág, Játekók (extracts)
Johann Sebastian Bach, The Well-Tempered Clavier (extracts)

Pierre-Laurent Aimard (piano)