1966

Bayreuth debut with Parsifal, returning to conduct it again in 1967, 1968 and 1970

1967

Named principal guest conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra (until 1972)

1969

Conducts new production of Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande at Covent Garden

1971

Appointed principal conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra (until 1975) and the New York Philharmonic (until 1977); release of his first Deutsche Grammophon recording: Parsifal, from the 1970 Bayreuth Festival

1976

Music director of the 100th anniversary production of Wagner’s Ring at Bayreuth; returns to conduct the cycle again at the next four festivals

1977

From now until his resignation as director in 1992, he devotes himself to the newly created Institut de Recherche et de Coordination Acoustique/Musique (IRCAM) at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and founds the Ensemble Intercontemporain (EIC)

1989

Signs an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon

1992

Conducts Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande with Welsh National Opera on a European tour (released as a video in 1994 and as DVD in 2002 by DG)

1993

Conducts the Berliner Philharmoniker for the first time in almost 30 years; releases include Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra and Four Orchestral Pieces, with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra

1994

Conducts the Berliner Philharmoniker at the Berlin Festival in a Ravel programme; CD releases: Ligeti Concertos for Cello, Violin and Piano, Boulez conducting the EIC and works by Ravel with the Berliner Philharmoniker

1995

As “co-founder” of the music centre “cité de la musique” in Paris, he directs its opening concert with works by Mahler and Rameau; named principal guest conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra; named “Artist of the Year” by Gramophone, and honoured on the occasion of his 70th birthday at the Victoires de la musique in France; releases include numerous prize-winning recordings of works by Debussy, Bartók and Boulez himself

1996

Receives the Berlin Arts Prize; CD releases include Bartók with the Chicago Symphony, Mahler with the Cleveland and Schoenberg with the Royal Concertgebouw

1998

Conducts Bluebeard’s Castle at the 50th Aix-en-Provence Festival; the opera is recorded with Jessye Norman, László Polgár and the Chicago Symphony and released on DG; also issued: Schoenberg’s Pierrot lunaire and Boulez’s Répons and Dialogue de l’ombre double, and Ravel’s Piano Concertos with Krystian Zimerman and the Cleveland Orchestra

2000

“Boulez 2000” – a year of touring with the London Symphony and EIC and concerts with the great orchestras of Cleveland and Chicago; CD releases include prize-winning works by Boulez

2002

Boulez’s ultimate realization of his Pli selon Pli, with soprano Christine Schäfer and the EIC, and his early Le Marteau sans maître are recorded under his direction

2003

Tour of Japan and concerts in Lucerne with Boulez conducting the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra. On CD: Mahler’s Third Symphony with the Wiener Phil­harmoniker and Anne Sofie von Otter; also released: Berlioz’s Roméo et Juliette and Les Nuits d’été with the Cleveland Orchestra

2004

Numerous concerts worldwide and a new production of Parsifal at the Bayreuth Fes­tival. On CD: Ravel and Debussy with the Cleveland Orchestra, and, with Ensemble Modern, music by Sir Harrison Birtwistle to celebrate the composer’s 70th birthday

2005

Deutsche Grammophon celebrates Boulez’s 80th birthday with major new releases conducted by Boulez: Mahler song cycles; the Bartók Piano Concertos; his own Le Marteau sans mâitre plus Dérives 1 & 2; and Boulez’s three Piano Sonatas, played by Paavali Jumppanen. Appearances include the Lucerne, Vienna and Bayreuth festivals. Boulez is appointed honorary member of the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde Wien, named honorary member of the Wiener Philharmoniker, and honorary conductor of the Staatskapelle Berlin

2006

Devotes himself to composition for several months. He resumes his concert engage­ments, conducting the EIC, Staatskapelle Berlin, Chicago Symphony, Orchestre de Paris and appears at the Aix-en-Provence, Salzburg and Lucerne festivals. CD release: Mahler Symphony no. 2 (Wiener Philharmoniker). Appointed Conductor Emeritus of the Chicago Symphony

2007

Concerts with the Staatskapelle Berlin, Wiener Philharmoniker, EIC, the Berliner Philhar­moniker, Orchestre de Paris, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Lucerne Festival Academy Orchestra and the Ensemble Modern. Release of the final recording in his cycle of Mahler’s Symphonies, no. 8

2008

Engagements include the Chicago and Cleveland orchestras, LSO, Orchestre de Paris, Wiener Philharmoniker (Salzburg Festival), EIC, BBC Symphony Orchestra and Staatskapelle Berlin. On DVD: Janácek’s From the House of the Dead; completion of his Bartók cycle with the audio release of the concertos for viola (Yuri Bashmet), violin (Gidon Kremer), and for two pianos and percussion (Pierre-Laurent Aimard/Tamara Stefanovich)

2009

Concerts with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Chicago Symphony and Cleveland orchestras, EIC, Orchestre de Paris, Wiener Philharmoniker (Szymanowski’s Violin Concerto no. 1 with Christian Tetzlaff), Berliner Philharmoniker, Staatskapelle Berlin (including 5 Mahler symphonies at Carnegie Hall) and Filarmonica della Scala and appearances at the Salzburg and Lucerne festivals. His complete DG Bartók recordings are released as an 8-CD box set

2010

85th-birthday year concerts include the Chicago Symphony, MET and Cleveland orchestras, EIC (in Paris and European tours), Orchestre de l’Opéra National de Paris, Orchestre de Paris, Wiener Philharmoniker (with Carnegie Hall appearance), Berliner Philharmoniker, Staatskapelle Berlin, Lucerne Festival Academy and Ensemble Modern. To celebrate Boulez’s 85th birthday Deutsche Grammophon releases his first-ever Szymanowki recording featuring the composer’s popular Violin Concerto no. 1 and Symphony no. 3 “Song of the Night”, with the Wiener Philharmoniker, violinist Christian Tetzlaff, tenor Steve Davislim and the Wiener Singverein; the Ravel Piano Concertos, with the Cleveland Orchestra and Pierre-Laurent Aimard; and Boulez’s complete DG Stravinsky recordings as a 6-CD box set