There is another Pierre Boulez related DVD release – "Pierre Boulez and the Lucerne Festival Academy". It contains the documentary "Inheriting the Future of Music" plus concert footage of Pierre Boulez conducting Claude Debussy's "Jeux" and two of his own works "Répons" and "Notations" filmed the summer of 2009 . The film makers are Güjnter Atteln and Angelika Stiehler. Lots to enjoy, more insight into Boulez, this time at age 85. It's an all-region disc on EuroArts.

I know of no better introduction to Pierre Boulez as composer than the film directed by Andy Sommer entitled A Lesson. It can be found on DVD coupled with another film performance of Eclat directed by Dutch filmmaker Frank Scheffer.

In A Lesson Boulez himself explains the various themes, parts, methods and currents running through this exciting piece "Sur Incises" while the piece is demonstrated by the Ensemble Intercontemporain. The editing is truly excellent in facilitating a better understanding of the composition but also Boulez's musical thoughts more generally. Do not miss this! You will find…

You may be interested to know that Ken Russell got an early start on post-modern filmmaking when he shot The Debussy Film in 1965. Oliver Reed does a terrific job playing Claude Debussy and I recommend you rent a copy, the whole film is fascinating. I found a clip on YouTube of the party scene where the actor playing Debussy is in the process of discovering Debussy's art for himself. I'd rather there were a scene of Reed as Debussy but what can I say? It's a short glimpse. The music is Danse Profane one of my favorite pieces by…

I recently discovered a chamber ensemble arrangement of Gustav Mahler's 4th symphony on the Belgian label 'Fuga Libera'.

To quote: Arranged (1921) for Chamber Ensemble by Erwin Stein for the "Verein für Musikalishe Privataufführungen in Wien" (Director: Arnold Schönberg).

In 1918 Arnold Schönberg, Alban Berg and others formed the "Association for Private Musical Performances" as a way for otherwise unrecognized (most frequently avant-garde) scores to get a hearing. This recording is a reconstruction of such a performance.

For us today, such a recording by an ensemble of this size puts the 4th in a refreshing light that can…