Via Alex Ross's blog, here's a nice article on Kurtág (http://www.therestisnoise.com/2007/11/kurtg-speaks.html). On Friday I'm hearing Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic play Stele (1994), one of my favorite works. I've only heard it live once, so I'm quite excited. Here's an excerpt from Paul Griffiths's program notes:
"Nothing is conventional in the work's sound or in the potency of its expressive gestures. A stele is a slab or pillar inscribed as a memorial: a gravestone. Kurtág's work is a three-movement symphonie funèbre. The opening is in bold octave Gs, which through slow glissandos and vibratos weep away from confidence; the rest of the adagio—which could be regarded as a slow introduction—is made of frail offerings from different parts of the orchestra, with the lamenting image of a falling minor second ubiquitous.
"The second movement develops a fierce snarling into immense sonorities, and the finale—based on a piano piece of September 1993 written in memory of András Mihály, a composer and conductor who was a generous friend to Kurtág, as to many colleagues—recalls the music for the lake of tears in Bartók's Bluebeard's Castle. Through repetitions of a liquid musical event, the work steps slowly on while keeping its gaze, always and unremittingly, in one place."
--Bruce
Stele is fab. I heard this year's Proms performance - I had a ticket, but it clashed with a work do, so I taped it - and I've got Abbado's DG performance. I think there are two other recordings knocking about out there; one conducted by Michael Gielen as a filler for a Mahler symphony, and another one (forget who was playing) that was part of RCA's German music survey. I saw the RCA in a record shop in Newcastle last year and I can't think why I didn't buy it. Maybe I thought I'd be able to pick it up back in London, but I haven't seen it since.
So, Bruce, where are the BPO playing? What else is on the programme? Enjoy.
Wow, great that you heard Stele at the Proms. More details, please! I have not yet heard Abbado's, but I did get Gielen's, which is excellent.
Rattle and the BPO are at Carnegie Hall this week. The program with Stele includes the Mahler 10. (PS, I went to the Mahler 9 last night and it was pretty extraordinary, but I won't digress...will post something on it elsewhere.)
--Bruce
Quote from: bhodges on November 14, 2007, 06:56:37 AM
Wow, great that you heard Stele at the Proms. More details, please! I have not yet heard Abbado's, but I did get Gielen's, which is excellent.
Rattle and the BPO are at Carnegie Hall this week. The program with Stele includes the Mahler 10. (PS, I went to the Mahler 9 last night and it was pretty extraordinary, but I won't digress...will post something on it elsewhere.)
--Bruce
That's an impressive concert. At the Proms, Stele was followed by Mahler 9. Ivan Volkov conducted the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. As far as I could tell, it was a good performance. The violent central section had a bit more bite than Abbado's recording and I heard some details that I hadn't noticed before, particularly in the final section. I wish I'd kept it so I could offer a more detailed analysis, but I had to delete a few items from my hard drive.
Bumping up this topic, since several people have commented on the recording of
Stele that comes with Gielen's Mahler Second, such as:
Quote from: knight on July 08, 2008, 06:54:51 AM
Ohww...that version of the Mahler [No. 2] is like wearing a hair shirt. Not my kind of approach. However, the Kurtag Stele paired with it is pretty stunning music and there are very few versions available.
Mike
The only other one I know of is this one with Abbado and Berlin, which I've heard once but not as often as the Gielen.
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/416J88NEX2L._SL500_AA240_.jpg)
Other favorite Kurtág works:
Messages of the Late Miss R.V. Troussova (1976-80) for soprano and chamber ensemble - I've heard several singers do this; it requires someone who can become a bit unhinged and lose some inhibitions, as do the next two pieces below.
Scenes from a Novel (1981-82) for soprano, violin, double-bass and cimbalom
Kafka Fragments (1985-87) for soprano and violin - Dawn Upshaw and Geoff Nuttall have been performing this recently, with great success, in a version staged by Peter Sellars.
Hommage à R. Sch. (1990) for clarinet, viola and piano
--Bruce
I never said anything at the time, but this thread got me interested in Kurtág. I had had that two CD composer portrait (Portraitkonzert Salzburg) set for several years. Just never listened to it. Nice set, though. Has that superb Grabstein piece on it, plus ...quasi una fantasia... and Doppelkonzert and and and....
And hunting through my Musik in Deutschland CDs netted performances of Stele (the Gielen) and Életút (Lebenslauf), and I found the ECM disc of Musik für Streichinstrumente at the store.
I can see that I have a lot of catching up to do.
I have this set, on ECM:
(http://www.ecmrecords.com/Images/cover/New_Series/1500/N1598g.jpg)
Nice set, having listened to it again yet.
Henk
Quote from: Two-Tone on November 30, 2008, 08:53:15 PM
Zwiegesprach..., and one of the few pieces I know where electronics and natural instruments are blended successfully.
This is not to say that there aren't dozens of pieces where electronics and instruments are blended successfully. Because there totally are. I mean it. ;D
(Most pieces by Iancu Dumitrescu and Ana-Maria Avram. Several by Tim Hodgkinson. Same for Petru Teodorescu. And that stunner of a symphony (no. 3) by Catalan/British composer Roberto Gerhard. Michèle Bokanowski's
Pour un pianiste. Just for starters...!)
Looking forward to this weekend, when Kurtág and his wife, Márta, will be here for two concerts--apparently their first visit to the United States. In the second concert, they are performing together on pianos.
Saturday, Jan. 31 at Zankel Hall
UMZE Ensemble
Peter Eötvös, Conductor
Amadinda Percussion Group
Natalia Zagorinskaya, Soprano
Katalin Károlyi, Mezzo-Soprano
Ildikó Vékony, Cimbalom
Miklós Perényi, Cello
GYÖRGY KURTÁG: Messages of the Late R.V. Troussova, Op. 17
GYÖRGY KURTÁG: Splinters, Op. 6c
GYÖRGY KURTÁG: Songs to Poems by Anna Akhmatova, Op. 41 (World Premiere)
LIGETI: Melodien
LIGETI: Cello Concerto
LIGETI: Sippal, dobbal, nádihegedűvel ("With Pipes, Drums, Fiddles")
Sunday, Feb. 1 at Zankel Hall
György Kurtág, Upright Piano
Márta Kurtág, Upright Piano
Hiromi Kikuchi, Violin
GYÖRGY KURTÁG: Hipartita for Solo Violin, Op. 43
GYÖRGY KURTÁG: Transcriptions and Selections from Játékok
--Bruce
Looks like a great event! Wonderful to be getting a world premiere too! The Ligeti cello concerto is another great work, one of his masterpieces I think.
Thanks for introducing me to Stele by the way, it's now probably my favourite Kurtag piece.
Quote from: bhodges on January 29, 2009, 10:58:50 AM
Looking forward to this weekend, when Kurtág and his wife, Márta, will be here for two concerts--apparently their first visit to the United States. In the second concert, they are performing together on pianos.
Saturday, Jan. 31 at Zankel Hall
UMZE Ensemble
Peter Eötvös, Conductor
Amadinda Percussion Group
Natalia Zagorinskaya, Soprano
Katalin Károlyi, Mezzo-Soprano
Ildikó Vékony, Cimbalom
Miklós Perényi, Cello
GYÖRGY KURTÁG: Messages of the Late R.V. Troussova, Op. 17
GYÖRGY KURTÁG: Splinters, Op. 6c
GYÖRGY KURTÁG: Songs to Poems by Anna Akhmatova, Op. 41 (World Premiere)
LIGETI: Melodien
LIGETI: Cello Concerto
LIGETI: Sippal, dobbal, nádihegedűvel ("With Pipes, Drums, Fiddles")
--Bruce
Very jealous of this concert, albeit more for the Ligeti. That reminds me, I haven't played
Sippal for yonks. I must dig out the CD.
For some time now I have on my shelf Kurtág's Kafka Fragments, resting, looking at me accusingly: "Come on, try me again!", and refusing. I didn't know what to do with a piece of music, bouncing off me without impact whatsoever.
Today I read our member's Jens Laurson blog and his article about his interview with the violinist Carolin Widmann. She talks about this Kurtág, calling it painful, and something clicked. I just might get more out of my next hearing with her opinion on my mind. Anybody here familiar with the composition, willing to share thoughts?
Thank you, Jens, it's a great interview - and you are a talented cartoonist too! 8)
Kafka is @40min. for voice and violin... and that's it, right?
I hear if you don't have Kurtag's favorite singer (Hungaroton), it doesn't matter anyway. I say, let the cd accuse away! There is other, more enjoyable Kurtag for sure.
Why some music makes us feel like we HAVE to like it in spite of its being unattractive is certainly a late 20th century conceit. I can just picture you trying to appreciate the "painful"ness, haha, as if it doesn't hurt enough already! oy!!
Kurtag has a few pieces like this, doesn't he?
btw- isn't there a Kurtag thread already?
Quote from: snyprrr on June 06, 2009, 11:47:26 AM
Kafka is @40min. for voice and violin... and that's it, right?
Why some music makes us feel like we HAVE to like it
Neither music nor person can make me feel I HAVE to like it, I decide if any music is worth my time, if I want to learn more about it and then, if possible, understand it.
I tried his
Kafka Fragments again and find the violin segments awesome, passionate and tender and intriguing and all kinds of emotions in between. If I were not so voreingenommen about sopranos, I might even like the whole work - but I don't.
So: Great violin, annoying vocal. ::)
I've seen Kafka Fragments several times. IMHO it requires a very theatrical singer who can plunge into the piece without any inhibitions, and although Dawn Upshaw and violinist Geoff Nuttall have given it a pretty good shot, I have to say I didn't much care for Peter Sellars's direction. (Review of California performance here (http://www.musicweb.uk.net/SandH/2008/Jul-Dec08/kafka2411.htm))
Lis, is this a CD or a DVD?
--Bruce
Don't like him. Much of his music is supposed to be inspired by Webern, except it doesn't appear Kurtág actually understood Webern at all.
Thank you, Bruce, for the link to the California performance. Sellars either hits, or he misses. With this one, even though I have not seen it, he misses by a wide margin. It would be interesting to know what Kurtág had to say about it.
I have the Bridge DVD, neutral setting with something like a book case in the background and simple stands for the violinist and the singer. As I said in my previous post, I concentrated on the music, which is carried prominently by the violin; maybe someone who is familiar with this performance can say something laudatory about the soprano.
Quote from: Josquin des Prez on June 09, 2009, 03:09:51 PM
Don't like him. Much of his music is supposed to be inspired by Webern, except it doesn't appear Kurtág actually understood Webern at all.
Well he has other influences too (obviously). He's always quoted as saying "Bartok is my mother tongue" - he is much more tonal than Webern, but shares with Webern that propensity for the miniature, the small and infinitely detailed gesture, highly concentrated emotions and often pointilistic colourings. He is also one of the finest setters of words of the 20th century - what he does in this realm is often just magical.
Quote from: Brünnhilde ewig on June 09, 2009, 06:44:08 PM
I have the Bridge DVD, neutral setting with something like a book case in the background and simple stands for the violinist and the singer. As I said in my previous post, I concentrated on the music, which is carried prominently by the violin; maybe someone who is familiar with this performance can say something laudatory about the soprano.
Oh Lis, I'll have to get this soon! Although I've not heard the performance, I have heard the soprano,
Tony Arnold, a number of times. She is fantastic, does a ton of new music, and is affiliated with the International Contemporary Ensemble (a.k.a., ICE, and bio
here (http://www.iceorg.org/about/artist/arnold.html)).
--Bruce
See, I knew someone would come up with laudits for the soprano, thank you, Bruce!
The booklet in the DVD gives her c.v. and it is very impressive, but you know by now my prejudice concerning female jodelers! ::)
Quote from: Brünnhilde ewig on June 10, 2009, 06:08:41 AM
See, I knew someone would come up with laudits for the soprano, thank you, Bruce!
The booklet in the DVD gives her c.v. and it is very impressive, but you know by now my prejudice concerning female jodelers! ::)
;D
Well, she may not be well-matched with this piece, who knows? Just because a singer
can do a specific work, doesn't mean she
should do it. But I'll reserve comment until I've seen it. And thanks again for letting me know about this.
--Bruce
Quote from: bhodges on June 10, 2009, 06:21:02 AM
Just because a singer can do a specific work, doesn't mean she should do it.
Quoted for truth.
Quote from: toucan on October 18, 2010, 09:49:48 PM
This November 2nd, Palais Garnier in Paris:
Transcriptions and selection of Játékok,
Marta & György Kurtag, Piano
Colinda-Balada for chorus and nine instruments, op. 46 (first performance in France)
Four poems by Akhmatova for soprano and instrumental ensemble, op. 41 (first performance in France)
Natalia Zagorinskaia. Soprano
Chorus of the Cluj Philharmonia
Ensemble Musikfabrik
Cornel Groza, Conductor
Olivier Cuendet, Conductor
Can't comment on the Colinda-Balada and the Four Poems op 41 as I have never heard them. This should be the first tie I see the Kurtags live, looking forward to it.
I wil be there too! First time I will hear György and Marta Kurtag live... Colinda Balada seems to be a great peice. He wrote it for his hometown located in Romania nowadays.
I agree with you about Stele. This is really something special.
According to an interview published this year in a Swiss newspaper, Kurtag is writing an opera after Beckett's "Fin de Partie" (Endgame).
The preimère should be in Salzburg not before 2013.
Joaquim
Quote from: toucan on October 18, 2010, 09:49:48 PM
This November 2nd, Palais Garnier in Paris:
Transcriptions and selection of Játékok,
Marta & György Kurtag, Piano
Colinda-Balada for chorus and nine instruments, op. 46 (first performance in France)
Four poems by Akhmatova for soprano and instrumental ensemble, op. 41 (first performance in France)
Natalia Zagorinskaia. Soprano
Chorus of the Cluj Philharmonia
Ensemble Musikfabrik
Cornel Groza, Conductor
Olivier Cuendet, Conductor
Can't comment on the Colinda-Balada and the Four Poems op 41 as I have never heard them. This should be the first tie I see the Kurtags live, looking forward to it.
____________________
You can listen to this wonderful concert here: http://sites.radiofrance.fr/francemusique/prog/diff/liste_concert.php?alecoute=1
Joaquim, thank you so much for posting that! I don't recall ever hearing the last two pieces.
--Bruce
Quote from: bhodges on December 07, 2010, 09:21:50 AM
Joaquim, thank you so much for posting that! I don't recall ever hearing the last two pieces.
--Bruce
They are very recent. Colinda Balada has been first performed last year in Romania. Kurtag wrote it for his birthplace, Lugos and it was also a tribute to the Romanian language he learnt when he was young.
Strange and wonderful piece.
Just found out that this CD (http://info.bmc.hu/hirek/171) has been released of a live concert at Carnegie Hall (actually Zankel Hall, one of the smaller ones) of Kurtág and Ligeti, with Peter Eötvös and the UMZE Ensemble. I was at the concert, and it was exceptionally good, with a searing performance of Messages of the Late Miss R.V. Troussova - a very happy surprise to find that it's now available.
--Bruce
I'm on a buying moratorium, sadly.
But when I go off it, there are two CDs I will want to get right away. (1 and 3 on toucan's list. I already have 2 and 4.)
Thanks for posting this--and especially for posting pictures of the covers.
I took that DG in the car the other day and couldn't hear jack for most of the piece no matter how loud I turned it. I realize it's not meant perhaps for das auto, so I'll recheck. I also have the Sony disc and the Keller disc (and was going to get the 'trio' ECM disc), but I don't know how far Kurtag is sticking with me. Perhaps I'll have to set aside some time here...
btw- my dyslexia reads your ThreadTitle as 'Kurt Cobain'! ;D
Quote from: toucan on October 07, 2011, 01:59:14 AM
Abbado's recording of Grabstein seems too faint to follow, even in the peace & quiet of one's library. Zoltan Pesko's recording might be more audible:
(http://i335.photobucket.com/albums/m465/Phil1_05/Kurtag001.jpg)
I rather liked the rawness of the Peter Eötvös-led performance on Col Legno's 2CD 70th birthday portrait, probably my favourite Kurtag collection. (Lots of good stuff on it--Zoltan Kocsis and Miklos Perenyi in the Double Concerto; Adrienne Csengery in the two short song cycles
Requiem po drugu and
Drei alte Inschriften; a alternative
Samuel Beckett: What is the Word from the one issued on DG, and Kocsis again in the mini-concerto
...quasi una fantasia.... The only downer is that the Keller Quartet only contribute excerpts from the
12 Microludes.)
(http://www.col-legno.com/pics_db/31870_Kurtag.jpg)
I went through an intensive Kurtag-a-thon of the three above mentioned orchestral works, and the Sony/Eotvos, and the Keller/ECM discs. I'm sorry, but I'm getting a slightly annoyed feeling towards this Composer. Perhaps it is he, and not the likes of Gorecki, who has been overestimated for so long, becoming a darling without, what appears to me, to be any scrutiny.
Perhaps I'm just feeling dismissive, but, Kurtag was supposed to be a Composer I should love. As I listened with as objective an ear as I could find, I found Kurtag continually falling flat on my Interest-Meter. Perhaps I enjoyed his Op.1 SQ the most, and the orchestral pieces the least. Perhaps he seemed like a combination of Schnittke and Webern to me, which, I suppose, is something I didn't need?
I would still be interested in hearing the 'Signs' cd on ECM, but it is not cheap at the moment. However, this recent listening party didn't make me want to immediately get this one, so, it seems as if I've made up my mind here. I'm just not hearing the 'devastating' aspects of the climaxes, and the 'chiseled' aspects of his music I prefer in others (Webern for one).
I do get the impression that some (Manfred Eischer(?)... the ECM guy) love Kurtag and will wave his flag till the end. Other than him being alive, I fail to hear the fuss. Could Kurtag be an example of Affirmative Action in the music biz?
Sign me, Perplexed.
Have you heard Messages of the Late Miss R.V. Troussova? I only mention it because IMHO it's one of his best.
--Bruce
Quote from: snyprrr on October 24, 2011, 09:07:48 AM
I do get the impression that some (Manfred Eischer(?)... the ECM guy) love Kurtag and will wave his flag till the end. Other than him being alive, I fail to hear the fuss. Could Kurtag be an example of Affirmative Action in the music biz?
No, there's plenty of people who really love him. For example, as a speaker of Hungarian, I've witnessed a pretty good level of support for him in Hungary and parts of Transylvania even among listeners who don't care so much for modernism. Kurtág's music provides insightful commentary on some key Hungarian poets, and some key Hungarian poets have been influenced by his work. In fact, as I read more of the poets that Kurtág has set, it is that response to poetry that is becoming what I focus on in his work.
It may be that the "combination of Schnittke and Webern" doesn't work for you (I'd say "Webern and Bartok", though), but the fact that Kurtág's music is a unique synthesis of variant traditions, and the fact that his music relates to wider culture, is attractive to a certain demographic.
Quote from: CRCulver on October 24, 2011, 02:11:21 PM
(I'd say "Webern and Bartok", though)
Most strongly seconded.
I tend to blow hot and cold on Kurtag--some works I really don't enjoy, some I think are tremendous. Which probably says more about me than about him. :)
Quote from: toucan on October 24, 2011, 04:15:57 PM
This seems well-observed - who made the observation? At his best (STELE, Troussova) Kurtag seems on a par with free-atonality Webern and Schoenberg - but at times (Quasi una Fantasia) he is tending toward something comparable to Schnittke and Sofia Gubaidulina - overcoming modernism, while remaining modern, somehow.
haha... that was me
Quote from: Brewski on October 24, 2011, 09:17:15 AM
Have you heard Messages of the Late Miss R.V. Troussova? I only mention it because IMHO it's one of his best.
--Bruce
Yes, it's on the Sony/Eotvos disc (along with
Scenes from a Novel). I'll have to return later.
Quote from: CRCulver on October 24, 2011, 02:11:21 PM
No, there's plenty of people who really love him. For example, as a speaker of Hungarian, I've witnessed a pretty good level of support for him in Hungary and parts of Transylvania even among listeners who don't care so much for modernism. Kurtág's music provides insightful commentary on some key Hungarian poets, and some key Hungarian poets have been influenced by his work. In fact, as I read more of the poets that Kurtág has set, it is that response to poetry that is becoming what I focus on in his work.
It may be that the "combination of Schnittke and Webern" doesn't work for you (I'd say "Webern and Bartok", though), but the fact that Kurtág's music is a unique synthesis of variant traditions, and the fact that his music relates to wider culture, is attractive to a certain demographic.
I can appreciate that. I'll try again later.
You can listen to Kurtag's latest work, "brefs messages op.47" for 9 instruments on Swiss radio: http://www.rsr.ch/audio/espace-2/musique-d-avenir/3550947-autour-de-kurtag-13-11-2011.html
Starts at 1.16
It was premiered a few weeks ago in Geneva by the Ensemble Contrechamps.
In this progral (in French) music director Olivier Cuendet speaks about Kurtag's current work and says he's working on an opera based on Samuel Becket for the Salzburg festival.
When I was studying music at University, I was the 'go-to' man for contemporary piano playing... probably because my technique and sight-reading were pretty good. I actually wasn't that keen on contemporary music, I prefered playing Rachmaninov, Liszt, Ravel, etc.
Anyway, my University organises one of the most important contemporary festivals in the world, and Kurtag was one of the featured composers... I was asked to play some pieces from his 'Játékok' series, with some coaching from Kurtag and his wife beforehand. I will always remember almost a full hour of frustration.... playing his piece which was based on the opening chords of the Tchaik Piano Concerto... but done by slamming one's fist down on the piano instead of playing chords. The point of these pieces is to help teach young children how to play and appreciate contemporary music. Well, I couldn't seem to slam my fist down in quite the right way for them, the whole thing seemed absolutely ridiculous to me. From then on, I don't have much respect for Kurtag!
Can anyone suggest recordings of his core works - either the most known or ones that represent his style the best? There don't seem to be the obvious stand-out 'classic' recordings as you would find with, say, Berio, Carter, Boulez, etc.
Quote from: Lethevich on April 07, 2012, 02:54:53 PM
Can anyone suggest recordings of his core works - either the most known or ones that represent his style the best? There don't seem to be the obvious stand-out 'classic' recordings as you would find with, say, Berio, Carter, Boulez, etc.
Eegad!! :o You're listening to Ballif? ??? Medic!! :-*
haha... it's springtime!! listen to Mozart!! ;) ;D
I'm not in the mood for recommending Kurtag,... I'd start with the Keller SQs on ECM. 8)
Offhand, the two Hungaroton collections are essential coverage of his first 25 years or so:
The one of earlier works is:
[asin]B000009INW[/asin]
The slightly more recent one (no image): http://www.amazon.com/Works-Soprano-Adrienne-Csengery/dp/B0000030A7/
For the quartets, I prefer the Kellers to the Ardittis:
[asin]B000024R1O[/asin]
The col legno portrait concert disc is essential for works from the 1980s in particular:
[asin]B000025BQL[/asin]
After that, maybe one of the recordings of Kafka-Fragments; and some selections from Jatekok or Signs, Games and Messages. That still arguably leaves you a bit light on recent works, I suppose, but I've not been so great at keeping up with Kurtag's last 20 years or so.
Thank you! I know the Kafka Fragments and solo piano works, but the rest was a mystery to me.
I don't suppose there's a big bargain box I can buy?
I've been spending some time with the early concerto for soprano and piano, The Sayings of Peter Bornemisza.
[asin]B000009INW[/asin]
I find it a truly impressive piece that acts as a massive (for a miniaturist like Kurtag, 40 minutes is massive) summing up of his early atonal period; a Webernian concentration and focus allied to an idiom that also owes something to Bartok and (I think) to late Liszt. Remarkable stuff which never lets up in intensity (whisper it, but I think I may actually like it more than I do the Kafka-Fragmente).
The disc also, handily, has Zoltan Kocsis' superb performance of the op 3 piano pieces, and the op 4 violin/cimbalom duets, both of which provided some (though not a lot of) material for the main work here, and which illuminate the path Kurtag took on the way to his first truly large-scale work. (The op 11 Pilinszky songs are also here, though I think they'd fit better on a disc with later work.)
This movement from Stele haunts me...
http://www.youtube.com/v/4oNl7HDUC-8
Thanks for that link, and note that in the related entries in that blog you can also find recordings of the Ardittis playing Kurtag's most recent work for string quartet, Moments musicaux, Cambreling conducting Messages for orchestra, and the opus 14e violin/piano pieces (as far as I know, none of these works have been commercially recorded).
Quote from: edward on June 09, 2012, 10:41:17 AM
Thanks for that link, and note that in the related entries in that blog you can also find recordings of the Ardittis playing Kurtag's most recent work for string quartet, Moments musicaux, Cambreling conducting Messages for orchestra, and the opus 14e violin/piano pieces (as far as I know, none of these works have been commercially recorded).
I recently got
Moments musicaux in a release on Neos:
https://neos-music.com/?language=english&page=output.php%3Ftemplate%3Denglish-album-details.php%26content%3DAlben/11033.php
Quote from: sanantonio on May 07, 2014, 10:52:43 AM
I'm bumping this thread since, it's been almost two years since the last post, and this week I've been reading some about Kurtag, a composer whose music I've liked but not really focused much attention on so far. Judging from what I've read, his music features many qualities I usually find interesting. I've also learned a bit about Friedrich Hölderlin (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_H%C3%B6lderlin), whose poetry Kurtag has set, as well as several other 20th century composers - who was a very interesting writer.
Any special Kurtag favorites?
The only
Kurtág I own (Gielen, with magnificent fillers:
Mahler 2nd &
Schönberg Kol Nidre :D) is a favourite. I've read this topic many times lately (last time: this morning), there reeeeally ought to be more pages in this thread.
https://www.youtube.com/v/GXDyfW-l0Go
The string quartet disc on Neos is very good. I like the delicate texture of his music.
Quote from: Brewski on October 24, 2011, 09:17:15 AM
Have you heard Messages of the Late Miss R.V. Troussova? I only mention it because IMHO it's one of his best.
Quote from: snyprrr on October 24, 2011, 07:02:37 PM
Yes, it's on the Sony/Eotvos disc (along with Scenes from a Novel). I'll have to return later.
Is this good? Eotvos disc seems out of stock.
György Kurtág: Botschaften des verstorbenen Fräuleins R.V. Trussowa / Jörg Widmann: ...umdüstert...
[asin]B000Y0ZVO6[/asin]
Quote from: torut on May 07, 2014, 12:10:31 PM
The string quartet disc on Neos is very good. I like the delicate texture of his music.
What about Kellers on ECM? I see
edward prefers that one over Ardittis, but has anyone heard the ECM & Neos?
The best performance of Troussova is on a Hungaroton disc (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000030A7?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B0000030A7&linkCode=xm2&tag=3636363-20). Csengery and other musicians there worked closely with Kurtág for many years.
In general, with Kurtág's music, one has to look for recordings made in close collaboration with the composer, because Kurtág has very specific demands for his pieces that can only be communicated through coaching, not just the score. (He is a harsh taskmaster and does have a reputation of reducing many performers to tears.)
Quote from: CRCulver on May 07, 2014, 12:41:27 PM
The best performance of Troussova is on a Hungaroton disc (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000030A7?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B0000030A7&linkCode=xm2&tag=3636363-20). Csengery and other musicians there worked closely with Kurtág for many years.
In general, with Kurtág's music, one has to look for recordings made in close collaboration with the composer, because Kurtág has very specific demands for his pieces that can only be communicated through coaching, not just the score. (He is a harsh taskmaster and does have a reputation of reducing many performers to tears.)
This Csengery disc is a no-brainer, as far as I'm concerned, with three important song cycles on it.
The quartets are also essential Kurtag IMO; the Ardittis and Kellers have the major disadvantage of not containing the
Six Moments Musicaux (aka Kurtag's 4th quartet), which does appear on the Neos disc.
I've not heard some of the more recent Kurtag discs (something I need to rectify), but I can think of two other recommendations:
[asin]B00003L1ZD[/asin]
The Sayings of Peter Bornemisza, described as a concerto for soprano and piano, is an absolutely astonishingly intense work, lasting about 40 minutes, that never lets up and demonstrates, perhaps better than anything else in Kurtag's output, the cumulative power of many very short pieces. (The rest of the disc, though less heavyweight, gives a good overview of Kurtag's earlier style.)
[asin]B000025BQL[/asin]
This live recording from the early 1990s has a variety of works on it and is a fine overview of Kurtag's music from the mid-70s to early 90s.
Quote from: sanantonio on May 07, 2014, 03:50:57 PM
Both of those are in my stack, as well as Signs and Holderlin songs, which looks very interesting.
[asin]B00008G5TO[/asin]
This is one of the few Kurtag discs that simply did nothing for me. I suspect the fault is mine, though.
Quote from: North Star on May 07, 2014, 12:13:39 PM
What about Kellers on ECM? I see edward prefers that one over Ardittis, but has anyone heard the ECM & Neos?
I only have Athena quartet disc on Neos. I chose it because it was "complete." :) Also, Neos albums usually do not disappoint me.
Quote from: CRCulver on May 07, 2014, 12:41:27 PM
The best performance of Troussova is on a Hungaroton disc (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000030A7?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B0000030A7&linkCode=xm2&tag=3636363-20). Csengery and other musicians there worked closely with Kurtág for many years.
Thank you, I will check it.
Quote from: CRCulver on May 07, 2014, 12:41:27 PM
In general, with Kurtág's music, one has to look for recordings made in close collaboration with the composer, because Kurtág has very specific demands for his pieces that can only be communicated through coaching, not just the score. (He is a harsh taskmaster and does have a reputation of reducing many performers to tears.)
In that sense, which string quartet group collaborated with Kurtág closely?
Quote from: CRCulver on May 07, 2014, 12:41:27 PM
The best performance of Troussova is on a Hungaroton disc (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000030A7?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B0000030A7&linkCode=xm2&tag=3636363-20). Csengery and other musicians there worked closely with Kurtág for many years.
Is this the same one?
[asin]B000027GM6[/asin]
The one you linked is this. (The conductor and the ensemble on the cover are different.)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/81pxhwIBApL.jpg)
Torut, those discs are essentially the same, but one is a reissue of the other and may have added material. It's not clear which version you get if you order from the Amazon listing I linked to, because the two images are "customer images", something that someone just uploaded. I myself own the version where the front cover shows "Budapest Chamber Ensemble", but the version of Troussova on it is indeed by the EIC/Boulez.
Quote from: CRCulver on May 07, 2014, 07:10:23 PM
Torut, those discs are essentially the same, but one is a reissue of the other and may have added material. It's not clear which version you get if you order from the Amazon listing I linked to, because the two images are "customer images", something that someone just uploaded. I myself own the version where the front cover shows "Budapest Chamber Ensemble", but the version of Troussova on it is indeed by the EIC/Boulez.
Thank you, CRCulver. I found it on classicsonline (http://www.classicsonline.com/catalogue/product.aspx?pid=225050). According to the site, the following works are contained, and
Troussova is performed by Budapest Chamber Ensemble / Mihaly. There is no Boulez's name. Maybe it's a mistake of the site? Confusing... Anyway, I will try this, since either CD on Amazon seems difficult to get.
Attila Jozsef - Fragments, Op. 20
S.K. - Remembrance Noise, Op. 12
Messages of the Late R.V. Trussova, Op. 17
Scenes from a Novel, Op. 19
Requiem for the Beloved, Op. 26: No. 4. Farewell (Hommage a Hugo Wolf)
Geez, I might be wrong after all: it looks like the rip I have on my computer (I am presently far from my CD collection) is from the Erato recording, which is by the EIC cond. Boulez. So, the Hungaroton recording I have must be with the Budapest Chamber Ensemble after all, though I seem to have forgotten to rip that. Very confusing. But if you like Kurtág, get the Hungaroton CD with "Budapest Chamber Ensemble", because I do own it and remember getting a lot of pleasure from it.
Quote from: CRCulver on May 07, 2014, 08:16:13 PM
Geez, I might be wrong after all: it looks like the rip I have on my computer (I am presently far from my CD collection) is from the Erato recording, which is by the EIC cond. Boulez. So, the Hungaroton recording I have must be with the Budapest Chamber Ensemble after all, though I seem to have forgotten to rip that. Very confusing. But if you like Kurtág, get the Hungaroton CD with "Budapest Chamber Ensemble", because I do own it and remember getting a lot of pleasure from it.
I found the EIC/Boulez disc on Erato on the web. Thank you for the clarification. I purchased the Budapest Chamber Ensemble album on Hungaroton and will listen to it some time today.
Quote from: sanantonio on May 07, 2014, 04:03:33 PM
Since I am interested in Beckett and now Holderlin, from what I've read, and I am enjoying it right now as I type. I would not be surprised if Salvatore Sciarinno has gotten some ideas from it.
Could you explain this a little more? Sciarrino has gotten musical/compositional ideas from the Kurtág's work
Signs, Games And Messages? I like Sciarrino, and I am interested in if there is an influence.
Quote from: edward on May 07, 2014, 03:42:31 PM
The quartets are also essential Kurtag IMO; the Ardittis and Kellers have the major disadvantage of not containing the Six Moments Musicaux (aka Kurtag's 4th quartet), which does appear on the Neos disc.
The Keller Quartet actually did go on to record
Six Moments Musicaux. You can hear it on a Stradivarius disc (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005EVV5X6?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B005EVV5X6&linkCode=xm2&tag=3636363-20) with performances from the Milano Musica Festival.
Quote from: sanantonio on May 08, 2014, 08:49:31 AM
Not to pull a James on you, but just listen to the Holderlin songs and let me know if you agree that it calls to mind some of Sciarrino's vocal music. My post might have been confusing since I did not specify I meant the songs and not the string trio.
Oh, I see. Thank you. :) I'll listen to it once I get it.
I've been revisiting Adrienne Csengery's recordings of the works for soprano... and I've been incredibly impressed by the consistently high standard of these pieces (not to mention the interpretations). As much as I like his instrumental works, I think his writing for soprano is on an even higher level.
The program of Perer Sellars's London production of Kafka Fragments. I find the essays interesting. For me, it's really essential to follow the texts.
http://www.barbican.org.uk/media/events/10292kafkafragmentsforweb.pdf
Quote from: edward on June 06, 2014, 04:40:26 AM
I've been revisiting Adrienne Csengery's recordings of the works for soprano... and I've been incredibly impressed by the consistently high standard of these pieces (not to mention the interpretations). As much as I like his instrumental works, I think his writing for soprano is on an even higher level.
Especially the Trusovoy Messages, I think.
Bumping this because I have a question.
Does anyone know what's happened to his first (and very likely only) opera Fin de Partie?
It should have been premiered in 2015, then the premiere was postponed to November 2016, then in January 2016 a new press release by La Scala informed that, although the whole opera was completed (in draft) and 40 minutes orchestrated, Kurtág could not complete the orchestration in time for the premiere and so it was cancelled.
Any further news? I fear that, being the composer over 90 years old, we might have a new unfinished masterpiece shortly :-[
I guess nobody knows an answer to my question in my previous post :(
Ok nevermind, we'll see...
In the meantime I listened several times to his String Quartets, from this new recording
[asin]B01I2E3LX8[/asin]
and I can easily say it's one of my best purchases in 2016 :)
Thanks for posting that Quatuor Molinari recording, which looks great -- hadn't heard of it.
And I haven't heard a thing about the progress of the opera. My hunch is that you are probably right in your assumption, which makes me slightly sad.
--Bruce
Quote from: GioCar on August 25, 2016, 07:37:17 AM
Bumping this because I have a question.
Does anyone know what's happened to his first (and very likely only) opera Fin de Partie?
It should have been premiered in 2015, then the premiere was postponed to November 2016, then in January 2016 a new press release by La Scala informed that, although the whole opera was completed (in draft) and 40 minutes orchestrated, Kurtág could not complete the orchestration in time for the premiere and so it was cancelled.
Any further news? I fear that, being the composer over 90 years old, we might have a new unfinished masterpiece shortly :-[
No recent news, but here you can hear a few seconds of the prologue of Fin de partie: http://www.euronews.com/2016/02/22/budapest-celebrates-90-years-of-gyorgy-kurtag
Concerning the cancelled première, don't forget it was supposed to be staged by Swiss director Luc Bondy.... who died a few months ago... It explains perhaps why it has still not been staged.
Quote from: Joaquimhock on October 09, 2016, 10:34:17 PM
No recent news, but here you can hear a few seconds of the prologue of Fin de partie: http://www.euronews.com/2016/02/22/budapest-celebrates-90-years-of-gyorgy-kurtag
Concerning the cancelled première, don't forget it was supposed to be staged by Swiss director Luc Bondy.... who died a few months ago... It explains perhaps why it has still not been staged.
Thanks for the link.
Yes, that could explain why it hasn't been staged yet. Just wondering whether the composer has completed it or is still working on it or, because of his age and of Bondy's death, the project has been abandoned...
Totally random post, but I think the ECM recording his Music For String Instruments (w/ the Keller Quartet) is absolutely first-rate stuff. Anyone else feel the same way?
Quote from: Mirror Image on October 10, 2016, 07:47:50 AM
Totally random post, but I think the ECM recording his Music For String Instruments (w/ the Keller Quartet) is absolutely first-rate stuff. Anyone else feel the same way?
All kurtag is first rate bro
Quote from: Mirror Image on October 10, 2016, 07:47:50 AM
Totally random post, but I think the ECM recording his Music For String Instruments (w/ the Keller Quartet) is absolutely first-rate stuff. Anyone else feel the same way?
I think the interpretations on this recording are particularly fine; I don't think I've heard better readings of the three main pieces on the disc than these.
Quote from: nathanb on October 10, 2016, 08:44:14 AM
All kurtag is first rate bro
I've certainly enjoyed all that I've heard so far (which isn't much mind you).
Quote from: edward on October 10, 2016, 05:42:51 PM
I think the interpretations on this recording are particularly fine; I don't think I've heard better readings of the three main pieces on the disc than these.
These are the only performances of the works I know. What do you think of the ECM recording titled
Signs, Games, and Messages?
Quote from: edward on October 10, 2016, 05:42:51 PM
I think the interpretations on this recording are particularly fine; I don't think I've heard better readings of the three main pieces on the disc than these.
What do you think of the NEOS recordings?
Quote from: nathanb on October 10, 2016, 07:38:09 PM
What do you think of the NEOS recordings?
I'm perfectly happy with them as a complete set (haven't heard the Molinaris yet), but I think the Kellers dig deeper into the music.
Quote from: edward on October 11, 2016, 07:50:19 AM
I'm perfectly happy with them as a complete set (haven't heard the Molinaris yet), but I think the Kellers dig deeper into the music.
I think I tend to agree, but I've also spent a lot more time with the Keller quartet recording, so we shall see.
I have really only brushed the surface with Kurtág thus far. I have the Athena Quartet disc of his works for string quartet, the Maurizio Barbetti / Gianpiero Ruggeri disc of Signs, Games and Messages and the Kashkashian / Levin / Brunner ECm disk with Jelek, Hommage a R. Sch. and Neun Stücke für Viola solo.
All of these strike me as very finely wrought - Webern is another favourite, so clearly I find a lot to my taste in Kurtág's brevity and concision too.
Reading over the past few pages and seeing recommendations for his vocal works reminds me that I have come across some of these previously. Are there any recordings that anyone would be prepared to recommend?
Quote from: Turbot nouveaux on October 18, 2016, 02:31:19 PM
I have really only brushed the surface with Kurtág thus far. I have the Athena Quartet disc of his works for string quartet, the Maurizio Barbetti / Gianpiero Ruggeri disc of Signs, Games and Messages and the Kashkashian / Levin / Brunner ECm disk with Jelek, Hommage a R. Sch. and Neun Stücke für Viola solo.
All of these strike me as very finely wrought - Webern is another favourite, so clearly I find a lot to my taste in Kurtág's brevity and concision too.
Reading over the past few pages and seeing recommendations for his vocal works reminds me that I have come across some of these previously. Are there any recordings that anyone would be prepared to recommend?
If you want to explore the 40 essential, evocative, amazing micro-lieder of the cycle
Kafka-Fragmente op.24 for soprano and violin, I can safely recommend a recent album from BIS
[asin]B0116DE0TQ[/asin]
which is in my opinion superior than the other album I have from ECM, if anything for the better sound.
Messages of the Late Miss R. S. Troussova is also essential—if possible, look for the one on Sony (Rosemary Hardy is the soprano) which is paired with Scenes from a Novel, also an excellent although in my experience doesn't hit you quite as hard.
(The one on Erato with Boulez conducting and Adrienne Cséngery singing is possibly a better performance, although (a) I don't think nearly as much of Birtwistle's AGM and Grisey's Modulations makes limited sense separated from the rest of Les Espaces Acoustiques, and (b) it's probably out of print.)
I rate Kurtág as the most important composer of lieder since Schumann. I'm sure a lot of people won't, though <_<
For Messages of the late R.S. Troussova, I would recommend a Hungaroton disc (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000027GM6?ie=UTF8&tag=3636363-20&camp=1789&linkCode=xm2&creativeASIN=B000027GM6) where András Mihaly conducts the Budapest Chamber Ensemble and Csengery sings. All of the people performing here were closely involved with Kurtág in the 1970s and 1980s. This disc is convenient in that it also contains Kurtág second cycle on poems by Rimma Dalos, Scenes from a Novel.
Concerning the poet Rimma Dalos, whose works have been used by Kurtag several times, I've always wondered if she was real.... check the internet: no wikipedia article, no books by her on amazon in any languages.... it seems Gubaidulina also used her texts but it's a bit strange, but I'm perhaps a bit paranoid.... Almost all pages are about Kurtag's music when you type her name...... :-)
Quote from: Joaquimhock on October 20, 2016, 05:12:58 AM
Concerning the poet Rimma Dalos, whose works have been used by Kurtag several times, I've always wondered if she was real.... check the internet: no wikipedia article, no books by her on amazon in any languages....
She is very real. Born Rimma V. Trusova in Russia (hence the title of that cycle of poems), she moved to Hungary in 1970, married a Mr Dalos, and began publishing poetry there. I own a 1988 collection of her verse published by Magveto (which actually is on Amazon (https://www.amazon.co.uk/N%C3%A9lk%C3%BCled-%C3%A9n-IA-bez-tebia/dp/9631412369)), and she is mentioned in various memoirs and press coverage of the Budapest literary scene. You can see a photo of her sitting next to Kurtág at the piano in various books about the composer. However, she never made a big splash outside of Hungarian-language society (even her poems, written originally in Russian, are read mainly in Hungarian translation and are very little known in her native Russia) and she is known abroad solely through Kurtág and Gubaidulina's settings of her poems.
Quote from: amw on October 19, 2016, 03:36:05 AMI rate Kurtág as the most important composer of lieder since Schumann. I'm sure a lot of people won't, though <_<
I mean, at least Mahler and probably Schoenberg and maybe Strauss, Wolf, Eisler, and so on, but Kurtág would certainly be the most important of his own generation.
Quote from: CRCulver on October 19, 2016, 01:50:49 PM
For Messages of the late R.S. Troussova, I would recommend a Hungaroton disc (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000027GM6?ie=UTF8&tag=3636363-20&camp=1789&linkCode=xm2&creativeASIN=B000027GM6) where András Mihaly conducts the Budapest Chamber Ensemble and Csengery sings. All of the people performing here were closely involved with Kurtág in the 1970s and 1980s. This disc is convenient in that it also contains Kurtág second cycle on poems by Rimma Dalos, Scenes from a Novel.
Enthusiastically seconded, but don't forget the Hungaroton recording of
Kafka-Fragmente also with Csengery, and the disc of the wonderful concerto for soprano and piano
The Sayings of Peter Bornemisza (which comes with substantial fillers including the Pilinszky songs for soprano and violin, and Zoltán Kocsis's fine interpretation of the op 3 piano pieces).
Concerning Fin de partie, singer Yann Beuron says in this interview that he was supposed to sing in the Kurtag/Beckett opera in 2014 but since it has been cancelled he is no more involved in the project. However, he says that the project is not abandonned but will not be with him.
http://www.olyrix.com/articles/actu-des-artistes/595/yann-beuron-interview-entretien-contes-dhoffmann-opera-de-paris-bastille-quatre-valets-andres-cochenille-pitichinaccio-et-frantz-pinocchio-festival-daix-en-provence-carriere-projets
Quote from: Joaquimhock on November 07, 2016, 09:20:32 PM
Concerning Fin de partie, singer Yann Beuron says in this interview that he was supposed to sing in the Kurtag/Beckett opera in 2014 but since it has been cancelled he is no more involved in the project. However, he says that the project is not abandonned but will not be with him.
http://www.olyrix.com/articles/actu-des-artistes/595/yann-beuron-interview-entretien-contes-dhoffmann-opera-de-paris-bastille-quatre-valets-andres-cochenille-pitichinaccio-et-frantz-pinocchio-festival-daix-en-provence-carriere-projets
Thanks for the update.
No encouraging news anyway :(
My favourite living composer, masterpiece after masterpiece :)
Quote from: Webernian on December 08, 2016, 12:12:46 AM
My favourite living composer, masterpiece after masterpiece :)
Same here.
This is what I call good news:
http://www.emb.hu/en/composers?utm_source=ExactTarget&utm_medium=email&utm_content=http%3a%2f%2fwww.emb.hu%2fen%2fcomposers&utm_campaign=21555727&utm_umg_et=172548558
"György Kurtág, who now lives in Budapest Music Center is visited frequently by Arnaud Arbet, the musical assistant, and the singers of his opera Fin de partie planned to be premiered in 2018 in La Scala Milan. Kurtág helps with the preparations: he explains what the text means, he sings, he describes the connections between the notes, he talks about dinamics, articulation and stresses. He tells extraordinary things to the musicians, he sometimes reveals secrets about the work in progress, that one can only learn from him and his wife, Márta. The last time they rehearsed on 20 and 21 January with Frode Olsen and Leigh Melrose, playing Hamm and Clov. These two days of work was also documented on film. This time Pierre Audi was also present at the rehearsals."
^^^
This is what I call excellent news!
Thank you very much for the update :)
It's also a real pleasure to see maestro Kurtág still so active...
Chi va piano, va sano...
http://www.teatroallascala.org/it/stagione/2017-2018/opera/fin-de-partie.html
:) :) :)
Thanks you Joaquim!
(Actually I already saw it but don't want to say anything just for luck. One year and half from now is a long time...)
Quote from: GioCar on October 19, 2016, 12:41:11 AM
If you want to explore the 40 essential, evocative, amazing micro-lieder of the cycle Kafka-Fragmente op.24 for soprano and violin, I can safely recommend a recent album from BIS
[asin]B0116DE0TQ[/asin]
which is in my opinion superior than the other album I have from ECM, if anything for the better sound.
I know it's nearly a year on but I should thank you for this recommendation, GioCar. I really have been enjoying this disc.
Quote from: Turbot nouveaux on September 05, 2017, 11:00:35 PM
I know it's nearly a year on but I should thank you for this recommendation, GioCar. I really have been enjoying this disc.
You're welcome, very glad you liked it :)
My next Kurtág purchase will be this, I think. If anyone has had a chance to listen to it yet, I'd be interested in your thoughts.
(http://i.prs.to/t_200/28948128877.jpg)
I'd say worth it for the harder-to-acquire, less frequently recorded (or unrecorded) works alone. The Troussova Messages receive one of their better performances on record—though I still want to hear Adrienne Csengery's Hungaroton recording mentioned above, which seems to not be available at the moment—and the Op. 27 pair is done better than on the live recording on col legno which I believe is the only other one. Haven't A/B'd any of the others. Kurtág himself supervised the recordings, and he's exacting enough that I'd generally trust his judgment, as well.
Probably one of my purchases of the year (although you may want to wait until your preferred outlet has a sale on ECM titles, which Qobuz did earlier this year....)
If you want to use your money in a clever way, you can help to finance a documentary about Kurtag writing his (first) opera, Fin de partie after Beckett's play. Check their FB page for more details. The premiere of the opera is scheduled for november in Milan:
https://www.facebook.com/SensoFilmsKurtagOpera/
Just bought two tickets for the world premiere of Fin de partie, at La Scala on November 15!
king ubu and I will be going together 8)
Quote from: GioCar on June 18, 2018, 08:29:18 AM
Just bought two tickets for the world premiere of Fin de partie, at La Scala on November 15!
That is bound to be a very special experience. I'm enormously jealous but very happy for you nevertheless!
Kurtág is an astounding composer. I'm only in the process of discovering his music properly, but every single note from his pen I've heard so far has been infused with that special something that makes me fall in love with music.
Favourite works (so far) include:
-
Grabstein für Stephan, Op. 15c
-
Kafka-Fragmente, Op. 24
-
...quasi una fantasia..., Op. 27 #1
- Pretty much all of the works for string quartet
- Many of the vocal works on the fabulous new ECM release, already mentioned on this thread a few posts ago
Kurtág's music is brilliant and magical, like a thick morning mist in a garden. It feels fresh and energizing, but at the same time it's very rooted in tradition and is tremendously expressive. Often the music takes the listener on quite daunting journeys - this is not the work of a 100% happy man - but it's never just for the sake of being depressing; the music is intellectually intriguing, emotionally stirring and always interesting. I'm sure I'll spend a big chunk of my life exploring his work further...
Quote from: GioCar on June 18, 2018, 08:29:18 AM
Just bought two tickets for the world premiere of Fin de partie, at La Scala on November 15!
king ubu and I will be going together 8)
Two hours to go! The excitement is growing...
I was only able to listen to the first hour and the last 15 minutes properly. Do you know if there is a podcast somewhere? I find nothing on RAI 3...
I found it on radio bartok. But no idea for how long it will be online... https://www.mediaklikk.hu/radio-lejatszo-bartok/?date=2018-11-15_19-35-00&enddate=2018-11-15_22-09-00&ch=mr3#
Quote from: Joaquimhock on November 16, 2018, 04:18:53 AM
I found it on radio bartok. But no idea for how long it will be online... https://www.mediaklikk.hu/radio-lejatszo-bartok/?date=2018-11-15_19-35-00&enddate=2018-11-15_22-09-00&ch=mr3#
Good thank you. From about 20:09:00
Happy Birthday to György Kurtág, who turns 93 today.
One of the greats, he wrote his first opera last year, 'Fin de partie,' based on Beckett's 'Endgame.'
--Bruce
Quote from: Brewski on February 19, 2019, 05:45:48 AM
Happy Birthday to György Kurtág, who turns 93 today.
One of the greats, he wrote his first opera last year, 'Fin de partie,' based on Beckett's 'Endgame.'
--Bruce
Long live!
I'm new to his music, but it's recently occurred to me that Kurtág is one hell of a composer! I have this disc:
(https://img.discogs.com/t2ZKGVPFUUdvKSMs1XUiRH51TA4=/fit-in/600x595/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-3358892-1477310125-7124.jpeg.jpg)
... & it's great... especially the song cycle Messages of the Late Miss R.V. Troussova, op.17, and my personal favorite from the disc, ...quasi una fantasia..., op.27/1, surely an homage to Beethoven's op.27 "Quasi fantasia" sonatas.
Any fans of Kurtág's music lately? I think he reminds me something of Anton Webern, a favorite of mine, but... very different. Another touchstone would be Lutoslawski. But I find Kurtág's music to be truly unique. Definitely one of the greatest living composers, no...?
Another question I have: can anyone tell me whether or not Kurtág's music employs so-called serial techniques? I ask because some of his music shares similarities with the prototypically serialist late music of Webern, but for the most part, I am more so reminded of Webern's pre-serial, expressionistic works.
Quote from: vers la flamme on September 15, 2019, 10:24:55 AM
Another question I have: can anyone tell me whether or not Kurtág's music employs so-called serial techniques? I ask because some of his music shares similarities with the prototypically serialist late music of Webern, but for the most part, I am more so reminded of Webern's pre-serial, expressionistic works.
Kurtág's first several opus numbers are fairly conventionally serialist. There is an ample literature analyzing these works.
Exciting news: Kurtag's operatic version of Beckett's Fin de Partie is now free to watch from RAI for the next month:
Link: https://www.raiplay.it/programmi/findepartie
Quote from: edward on March 28, 2020, 07:30:58 AM
Exciting news: Kurtag's operatic version of Beckett's Fin de Partie is now free to watch from RAI for the next month:
Link: https://www.raiplay.it/programmi/findepartie
Thanks!
I've been meaning to get more into Kurtág. I keep coming close to pulling the trigger on the Reinbert de Leeuw Kurtág set on ECM, but backing out at the last minute and buying something else instead. Quick, someone talk me into buying it. :D
Quote from: vers la flamme on March 28, 2020, 07:41:22 AM
Thanks!
I've been meaning to get more into Kurtág. I keep coming close to pulling the trigger on the Reinbert de Leeuw Kurtág set on ECM, but backing out at the last minute and buying something else instead. Quick, someone talk me into buying it. :D
Buy it. It's a really good summary of his career. PS: the Hungaroton recordings of the song cycles are amazing, too.
Soon I will be doing an online lecture/recital on Kurtag's solo music for oboe/English horn, music which has only been recently published although it was privately circulated for several decades. One of the most memorable pieces is "Rozsnyai Ilona in memorium" for English horn and contrabass clarinet. In all of my research I have been able to find material on the other works to be presented, but can find nothing as to who Rozsnyai Ilona was. Any information out there? The piece was written in 1997 so it cannot be referring to someone I see on more recent YouTube videos. Any help is appreciated.
Some free Kurtag concerts online courtesy of the Budapest Music Centre: they're at 7:30 local time / 6:30 GMT / 1:30 EST.
https://bmc.hu/en/news/kurtag-95
Unfortunately it seems that the stream from yesterday's concert is no longer available.
BMC has also released a new recording of the concerto for soprano and piano Sayings of Péter Bornemisza with Tony Arnold and Gábor Csalog.
Quote from: edward on February 19, 2021, 04:24:20 AM
Some free Kurtag concerts online courtesy of the Budapest Music Centre: they're at 7:30 local time / 6:30 GMT / 1:30 EST.
https://bmc.hu/en/news/kurtag-95
Unfortunately it seems that the stream from yesterday's concert is no longer available.
BMC has also released a new recording of the concerto for soprano and piano Sayings of Péter Bornemisza with Tony Arnold and Gábor Csalog.
Thanks so much,
edward!
--Bruce
Quote from: not edward on February 19, 2021, 04:24:20 AM
BMC has also released a new recording of the concerto for soprano and piano Sayings of Péter Bornemisza with Tony Arnold and Gábor Csalog.
It would be interesting to know what Kurtág thinks of this. The story of the original Hungaroton recording of
The Sayings of Péter Bornemisza is infamous: Kurtág kept rejecting take after take, because the performers couldn't get exactly what he wanted in spite of endless rehearsal and Kurtág's elaborate verbal instructions on how to "get behind the score". After forty-odd takes, they just gave up and released one of the takes they already had.
Quote from: CRCulver on February 20, 2021, 01:25:11 AM
It would be interesting to know what Kurtág thinks of this. The story of the original Hungaroton recording of The Sayings of Péter Bornemisza is infamous: Kurtág kept rejecting take after take, because the performers couldn't get exactly what he wanted in spite of endless rehearsal and Kurtág's elaborate verbal instructions on how to "get behind the score". After forty-odd takes, they just gave up and released one of the takes they already had.
QuotePreparations for the Budapest commemoration concert for the Reformation 500, given on 19 December 2017 in the Music Academy, began two years earlier. Finding the singer for Bornemisza proved to be the most difficult task. A good few excellent singers rejected the piece, notorious for its murderously difficult vocal part, and others were vetoed by the composer. Tony Arnold, who had already proved her affinity
for the composer with her performances of Kurtág's Op. 17, Messages of the Late R. V. Troussova, took on the challenge. Grappling with the Hungarian-language proved to be the easiest thing for her. The real challenge was mastering the astonishingly difficult, dodecaphonic voice part, with its extremes of register, and dramatic outbursts, all at the white heat of expression that Kurtág demanded. Most of the rehearsals took place in Budapest, with Kurtág. The composer's wife Márta monitored the heroic undertakings throughout, constantly reproaching Kurtág for the devilishly difficult things he had set down on paper. At one dramatic moment Tony broke down in tears. "Here I am, fifty years old, I thought I knew all there was to know about singing, and it turns out I know nothing." Then the Kurtág couple embraced her. This may well have been the turning point in the rehearsal process. Gábor Csalog had already played the equally "unlearnable" piano part several times. During rehearsals he stood his ground as a pianist, assistant, mediator, and if necessary, psychologist. Whoever has studied with Kurtág has some idea of his demands for uncompromising music-making – for the musicians to give their entire being. To paraphrase the text of a Hungarian folksong: "if you want to be [Kurtág's] piper, you have to go through hell." Perhaps it is no exaggeration if, in the case of The Sayings of Péter Bornemisza, this "hell" is the most frightening and hopeless of places. Eventually though, the story of this passionate work of several years was crowned with resurrection: the work was born into new life, in a "valid" performance.
https://static.qobuz.com/goodies/94/000139949.pdf
The Guardian is running today an article (https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/aug/16/i-compose-to-seek-the-truth-gyorgy-kurtag-on-totalitarianism-depression-and-his-73-year-marriage) on Kurtág. From this mass newspaper you can't expect anything deep, but the article does show that Kurtág is still actively working and coaching performers – I had worried that with his declining output, he might have succumbed to dementia.
Another surprising discovery from this article is that György Ligeti's widow Vera is still alive.