Why the L.A. Phil’s Handel festival was downright revelatory

240 years after the event, another young visionary named Pierre Boulez embarked on his Second Piano Sonata at the age of 22. This audacious and unconventional composition left civilized Parisian salons astounded by its jarring discordance. However, it was this intricate and confrontational sonata that served as a catalyst for the European post-World War II avant-garde movement, paving the way for music that would break new ground.






