Éclat was written to commemorate both Boulez's 40th birthday and the opening of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
"[5] Source:[6] Consisting of a single movement with a duration of eight to ten minutes,[7] Éclat contains both pulse-oriented, fully-notated music, and floating, aleatoric passages; during the latter, the conductor assumes an unusually active role, in that he must actually "construct [the work], to take his bearings and to choose from among the options open to him, and to interact with his instrumental ensemble like a concerto soloist.
"[9] Accordingly, the sound world is characterized by nervous trills and frenetic activity that stand in contrast with suspended, dying resonances that fade into silence.
[18] Igor Stravinsky called Éclat "another small masterpiece," and commented: "The score does not list the conductor's part along with those of the other performers, yet it is composed just as any of the instrumental parts are composed, and is, in fact, the most interesting of all... Eclat is not only creative music, but creative conducting as well, which is unique.
"[19] Reviewing a 1996 performance, Mark Swed wrote: "Boulez here is hardly different from, say, Teller, when the magician... does something you simply can't believe.