György Kurtág (b. 1926)

[Joaquimhock]

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......  :-)

[CRCulver]

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), 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.

[nathanb]

I 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.

[not edward]

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.

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).

[Joaquimhock]

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

[GioCar]

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 

[Contemporaryclassical]

My favourite living composer, masterpiece after masterpiece 

[JCBuckley]

My favourite living composer, masterpiece after masterpiece 

Same here.

[Joaquimhock]

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."

[GioCar]

^^^
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...

[Joaquimhock]

Chi va piano, va sano...


http://www.teatroallascala.org/it/stagione/2017-2018/opera/fin-de-partie.html

[GioCar]

 

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...)

[Turbot nouveaux]

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.

[GioCar]

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 

[Turbot nouveaux]

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.

[amw]

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....)

[Joaquimhock]

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/

[GioCar]

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 

[Ainsi la nuit]

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...

[GioCar]

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 

Two hours to go! The excitement is growing...