‘He jolted us out of our comfort zone’: Antonio Pappano, Martyn Brabbins and more on Pierre Boulez

As the classical music world celebrates his centenary, musicians tell us why the French iconoclast remains a towering figure, and his music still casts a spell

Composer, conductor, polemicist and iconoclast Pierre Boulez was born 100 years ago and, on his death in 2016, left classical music utterly changed. Ahead of two festivals in which the London Symphony Orchestra and the BBC Symphony celebrate a musician with whom both orchestras had close and enduring relationships we speak to composers, conductors and performers who worked with the legendary musician, and tell us why his music remains essential listening - so long as we put our ‘Boulez ears’ on.

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