If one had to make a list of, say, the 50 most influential classical musicians of the last 50 years, surely Pierre Boulez would be on that list somewhere. As former leader of the New York Philharmonic and the BBC Symphony Orchestra and as head of the Ensemble InterContemporain, he is renowned, of course, for his conducting prowess. Indeed, he has long amazed musicians with his radar ears. Match this with a lucid, intelligent and sometimes biting writing style and a remarkable gift as a composer and you have a force to be reckoned with on at least three fronts.

While Boulez is still best known for his 1950s masterpiece, Le marteau sans maître, he is not known exclusively for it. Among his other well-known works are Pli selon pli, the piano sonatas, and this month's clip: Le visage nuptial. The work is shattering in its use of orchestral color (there's that famous ear at work again) and breathtaking in its breadth; this recording benefits from the inclusion of one of contemporary music's greatest champions and stars, the incomparable Phyllis Bryn-Julson.

I really hope this month's little teaser will inspire some to seek out more of Boulez's works; they are so deserving of examination.