GyÃ¶rgy KurtÃ¡g

György Kurtág [ ɟørɟ kurta ː ɡ ] ( born February 19, 1926 in Lugo, Romania) is a Hungarian composer and pianist.

Biography

György Kurtág moved 1946 to Budapest and studied at the Franz Liszt Academy of composition with Sándor Veress and Ferenc Farkas, piano with Pál Kadosa and chamber music with Leó Weiner. From 1957 to 1958 he held for one year in Paris, where he attended composition classes with Darius Milhaud and Olivier Messiaen. But was the meeting with the psychologist Marianne Stein crucial for his development as a composer during this academic year. As a guest of the DAAD ( German Academic Exchange Service) in 1971, he lived for a year in Berlin. In 1973 he was awarded the Kossuth Prize of the State of Hungary. 1993 invited him to the Institute for Advanced Study Berlin for two years as a " composer in residence " of the Berlin Philharmonic in. This was followed by one-and two -year stay in Vienna (1995 ), The Hague (1996 ) and Paris ( 1999). In 1998 he received the prestigious award from the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation, in 2001 the Friedrich Hölderlin Prize of the University of Tübingen in 2009 and the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale for his life's work in the context of the 53rd International Festival of Contemporary Music.

György Kurtág is now next to György Ligeti as the greatest Hungarian composer after 1945. During Ligeti but left Hungary after the 1956 uprising and the West quickly became a celebrated composer, Kurtág remained first in Budapest and taught from 1967 to 1986 at the city's Franz Liszt Academy of Music piano and chamber music. So he remained long as a composer only a " tip" among the initiated. It was not until the mid-70s began his musical comprehensive to be known in Western Europe. Today his works are performed worldwide and are in various CD recordings before.

The Music of Kurtág is characterized by a similar compression of musical textures, as it is characteristic of the music of Anton Webern. But unlike Webern is Kurtág language this playful and associative. Nevertheless, it is in its often radical limitation and concentration permeated by knowledge and spirituality associated with Kurtág with a high degree of self-doubt and a very self-critical attitude. Noteworthy are various more or less hidden and encrypted references in his works, such as in the opus numbers or titles, for example, op 27 " ... quasi una fantasia ... " to Beethoven or op 28 " Officium breve " in Webern's String Quartet with same opus number. In addition, there are compositional allusions in the countless dedication pieces of work in progress Játékok.

Invited by Walter Fink, he was composer in 2004, the 14th annual composer's portrait of the Rheingau Musik Festival. He played with his wife from Játékok.

Awards

Erkel Prize, 1955 and 1969
Kossuth Prize, 1973
Music Prize of the Prince Pierre of Monaco Foundation, 1993
International Antonio Feltrinelli Prize - 1993
Rodgers Award of the State of Austria, 1994
Denis de Rougemot Prize of the European Festivals Association, 1994
Kossuth Prize for Lifetime Achievement, 1996
Austrian Decoration for Science and Art, 1998
Composers price of the " Promotion of the European economy", 1998
Ernst von Siemens Music Prize, 1998
Honorary Award for Science and Art of the Institute for Advanced Study Berlin, 1999
Pour le Mérite for Sciences and Arts, 1999
Commander with Star of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary, 2001
John Cage Award, 2003
Léonie Sonning Music Prize, 2003
Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary, 2006
Golden Lion of the Venice Biennale for music his life's work in the context of the 53rd International Festival of Contemporary Music, 2009
Zurich Festival Prize, 2010
Gold Medal of the Royal Philharmonic Society, 2013

Works (selection)

Orchestra ( with soloist )

Viola Concerto (1953-1954)
Four Caprices, Op 9 poems by István Bálint for soprano and chamber orchestra
Grave stone for Stephan op 15c for guitar and distributed in space groups of instruments
Messages feu de demoiselle RV Troussova ( messages of faded RV Trussova ) Op 17 for soprano and ensemble
... Quasi una fantasia ... op 27, 1 for piano and orchestra groups
Double Concerto, Op 27, 2 for piano, cello and two chamber ensembles
Samuel Beckett: What is the word Op 30b for alto and chamber ensemble
Stele for Large Orchestra, Op 33
Messages for orchestra, Op 34
Concertante Op 42 ... ... for violin, viola and orchestra

Choir

Omaggio a luigi nono op 16 for mixed choir a cappella
Eight choirs on poems by Dezso Tandori, Op 23 for mixed choir a cappella
Songs of sadness and sorrow op 18 for mixed choir with instruments

Chamber music with lyrics

The sayings of Péter Bornemisza, Op 7 for soprano and piano
Four songs to poems by János Pilinszky op.11 for bass and ensemble
Scenes from a novel op 19 for soprano, violin, double bass and cymbal
Fragments ( after poems by Attila József ) op.20 for soprano and ensemble
Kafka Fragments, Op 24 for soprano and violin
Three old inscriptions op 25 for soprano and piano
Requiem po Drugu op.26 for soprano and piano
Friedrich Hölderlin: AN ... op 29 for tenor and piano
Hölderlin Songs Op.35 for voice and instruments
Some sentences from the Sudelbüchern light 's op 37 for soprano (with or without instruments)
Farewell for Soprano and Piano

Chamber Music

String Quartet Opus 1
Wind Quintet, Op 2
Eight Duos op 4 for violin and cymbal
Hommage a András Mihály op 13 twelve Mikroludien for String Quartet
Hommage A R. Sch. Op. 15d for Clarinet, Viola and Piano
Officium Breve op.28 for string quartet
Ligatura - Message to Frances -Marie, Op 31b for two cellos, two violins and celesta
Signs, Games and Messages for Strings (Work in progress)
6 moments Musicaux Op 44 for String Quartet
Bagatellek ( Bagatelles ) op 14 / d for flute, double bass and piano

Solo Works

Eight Piano Pieces, Op 3
Jelek op 5 for Viola
Splitter op 6c for Cymbal
Játékok for Piano (Work in progress)
Hipartita Opus 43 for solo violin (world premiere: 2005 )

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