French composer and conductor Pierre Boulez, 90, died on Jan. 5 at his home in Baden-Baden, Germany, according to the New York Times.
Of Boulez, the Times writes:
Mr. Boulez belonged to an extraordinary generation of European composers who, while still in their 20s, came to the forefront during the decade or so after World War II. They wanted to change music radically, and Mr. Boulez took a leading role. His “Marteau Sans Maître” (“Hammer Without a Master”) was one of this group’s first major achievements, and it remains a central work of modern music.
Mr. Boulez came to give more attention to conducting, where his keen ear and rhythmic incisiveness would often produce a startling clarity. (There are countless stories of him detecting, for example, faulty intonation from the third oboe in a complex orchestral texture.)
His death was confirmed in a statement on Jan. 6 by Philharmonie de Paris, stating “For all those who knew him and who could appreciate his creative energy, artistic standards, availability and generosity, his presence will remain vivid and intense.”
For more, read the Times’ obituary.