Ensemble Intercontemporain

The Ensemble intercontemporain is a chamber orchestra specializing in contemporary classical music. The Ensemble intercontemporain was formed in 1976 by Pierre Boulez. It was conceived as a group of 31 soloists, who could play orchestral literature or literature for any combination of instruments. At first, the idea was for the ensemble to be more flexible than an orchestra, allowing composers to write for a more restricted group of instruments. This model has become quite prevalent in contemporary classical music for a variety of reasons