Few conductors manage to cross the invisible boundary separating contemporary music ensembles (with their emphasis on ephemeral premieres) from mainstream orchestras (where even the 867th rendition of a Brahms symphony is expected to sound gripping and fresh). The American David Robertson is one such conductor. In 1992, Pierre Boulez appointed Robertson music director of the Paris-based Ensemble intercontemporain, with its fearsome reputation for tackling complex music—Robertson convinced them to expand their repertoire to include composers such as John Adams.
Unlimited access to our
