Beyond chance and control: London Sinfonietta’s spectacular exploration of Cage and Boulez

When John Cage knocked on Pierre Boulez’s Paris door in 1949, he could hardly have expected to find not only a great friend but also a composer whose rigorous musical curiosity matched his own – at least until their relationship cooled five years later. During that time, they exchanged a series of heartfelt letters, sharing musical ideas and discoveries. A concert built around their correspondence – between two towering composers whose paths later diverged radically, one embracing chance, the other absolute control – seems like a no-brainer, but executing it successfully is an entirely different challenge.

Curated by Andrew Burke and Michael McCarthy, The Boulez/Cage Letters attempted exactly that. This lecture-cum-performance-cum-theatre-play centred on the role of The Researcher, played brilliantly by Francesca Amewudah-Rivers, who read the letters between pieces, providing essential context and driving the narrative forward. To aid comprehension, short video clips presented archival recordings of Cage and Boulez, as well as demonstrations of prepared piano and an excerpt from the film Works of Calder, which includes Cage’s music. Meanwhile, the musicians of the London Sinfonietta did not remain hidden behind a curtain but instead sat at the far corner of the stage, separated from the main performance area by a transparent glass sheet.

Cage’s Six Melodies was the first item on the menu. Despite the composer’s rejection of Neoclassicism, the angular yet fluid writing took on an almost Romantic character in the brilliant performance by violinist Clio Gould and pianist Elizabeth Burley, whose magnificent playing deserved a special shout-out. Its quiet focus came through graceful, light-as-a-feather playing with exceptional tonal and dynamic control. Boulez’s Pour le Dr Kalmus followed, brimming with the eruptive vigour characteristic of the Frenchman. Led by Thomas Kemp (who also conducted Dérive 1 later in the programme), the musicians infused the four-minute piece with such electrifying energy that it felt even more fleeting than it already is.

Returning to Cage, his Credo in US – composed in 1942, before his correspondence with Boulez – stole the show for me. Loud, brash and rhythmically electric, the ensemble whizzed through this proto-Minimalist texture, its tongue-in-cheek effect heightened by snippets of pre-existing Romantic music on the radio. Put simply, its flashy appeal was irresistible. The first half rounded off with Boulez’s autocannibalistic Dérive 1, woven from his previous two works. The group made it sound almost ritualistic, with plenty of instrumental individuality blending into one brooding sound world.

Drenched in misty blue light, Boulez’s Domaines opened the second half of the programme as perhaps the most challenging piece of the night. Yet Mark van de Wiel breathed life into the atonal material of Boulez’s solo clarinet writing, making each gesture sound and feel completely natural. Buzzing trills and harmonically rich overblowing reinforced the clarinetist’s assertive presence. Fittingly, a bold rendition of Cage’s Variations I brought the concert to a close.

All in all, this was an extremely balanced, informative and enjoyable presentation of the two giants of 20th-century composition with a human face. Rather than advocating for one approach over the other, the event showcased real-life cross-pollination. Boulez was not cast as a control-obsessed demiurge, nor was Cage reduced to a freewheeling eccentric. But above all, it was the smooth working of all the nuts and bolts of the concert – from concept and stage design, choice of music and musicians’ playing to the convincing presentation of the narrator and video clips – that created a unique atmosphere in the concert hall, a rare and extraordinary sight. This is no mere overpraise or flattery, but a heartfelt expression of gratitude: to the musicians and organisers for a fantastic night that may well be remembered as one of the best concerts of 2025.