Ensemble Intercontemporain

One of the first groups in the world dedicated specifically to contemporary music, the Ensemble Intercontemporain in Paris remains among the most influential. The Ensemble was led by avant-garde composer and conductor Pierre Boulez for much of his life. Boulez founded the Ensemble Intercontemporain in Paris in 1976. At the time, although the London Sinfonietta already pursued a focus on 20th century music, the idea of a performance organization devoted to new music may have been unique. The group had, and still has, 31 players, a set of forces derived from those needed to per...