György Kurtág (b. 1926)

Started by bhodges, November 12, 2007, 10:18:39 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

CRCulver

#60
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 with performances from the Milano Musica Festival.

torut

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.

not edward

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.
"I don't at all mind actively disliking a piece of contemporary music, but in order to feel happy about it I must consciously understand why I dislike it. Otherwise it remains in my mind as unfinished business."
-- Aaron Copland, The Pleasures of Music

Mandryka

#63
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.
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

GioCar

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  :-[

GioCar

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  :)

bhodges

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

Joaquimhock

#67
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.
"Dans la vie il faut regarder par la fenêtre"

GioCar

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...

Mirror Image

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?

nathanb

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

not edward

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.
"I don't at all mind actively disliking a piece of contemporary music, but in order to feel happy about it I must consciously understand why I dislike it. Otherwise it remains in my mind as unfinished business."
-- Aaron Copland, The Pleasures of Music

Mirror Image

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?

nathanb

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?

not edward

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.
"I don't at all mind actively disliking a piece of contemporary music, but in order to feel happy about it I must consciously understand why I dislike it. Otherwise it remains in my mind as unfinished business."
-- Aaron Copland, The Pleasures of Music

nathanb

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.

Turbot nouveaux

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?

GioCar

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.

amw

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 <_<

CRCulver

For Messages of the late R.S. Troussova, I would recommend a Hungaroton disc 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.