Composer of the Fortnight : Gyorgy Kurtag
Sun, Apr 3 2011, 1:29PM
I abhor these ridiculous lists of Top 20 this, Top 20 that, and the general desire that so many people have to apply superlatives to everything I find disturbing or infantile at best. As my best friend wonderfully said when we were at a Billy Cobham gig, and two older guys in front were convinced he was an inferior drummer because he didn´t play as fast as Krupa, my friend roared at them "it´s not the effin Olympics". Having said all this Kurtag´s music is for me as stimulating and as satisfying as the music of any living composer.
I´ve been listening to fairly healthy selections of Jatekok over the last week, and I´m more and more intrigued. At the beginning these tiny pieces can pass you by without making much of an impression, but given time and due concentration they become ever more fascinating. For me they express a real almost childish joy in playing the piano, wallowing in all its sonic possibilities.
The first piece of Kurtag that really made an impression on me was his 12 Microludes for string quartet, wonderfully concentrated but expressive music, like the heir to Webern´s magical atonal works. His Officium Breve for the same forces is equally rewarding, and his String Quartet is one of those incredible first published works alla Metastasis.
I have some of his vocal music, but I can´t really comment as I haven´t given it enough time yet, likewise some of his recent orchestral pieces.
For anyone interested I would also recommend a DVD I saw called the Matchstick Man, an absorbing portrait of the composer.
Thu, Apr 21 2011, 10:37PM
#2
RE: Composer of the Fortnight : Gyorgy Kurtag
I knew Kurtag would be a longshot, but then again I thought the same about Xenakis and was pleasantly surprised, that´s the way it goes. Kurtag is worth investigating. I know a new composer was due last week for which I apologise, but I was in the middle of travelling and the head was elsewhere. I will have a new one this Monday without fail.
Sat, Apr 23 2011, 10:46AM
#3
RE: Composer of the Fortnight : Gyorgy Kurtag
because he didn´t play as fast as Krupa,
I'd prefer to talk about Gene Krupa instead. I once held a pair of Krupa's drum sticks at Carnegie Hall, the nearest in my life I've come to a religious experience.
Sat, Apr 23 2011, 6:46PM
#4
RE: Composer of the Fortnight : Gyorgy Kurtag
Yes, a pity he attracted so little interest. My own Kurtág collection is a bit like Father Dougal's record collection in Father Ted, consisting as it does of one disc (selections from Játékok and Bach transcriptions played by Mr & Mrs Kurtág), passed on to me by a friend whose discards usually become favourites of mine, so complementary are our tastes. Not really in this case, alas, although I do find it pleasingly gentle, civilised and quirky, but without making me desperate to explore further. Perhaps I should.
DF
Sun, Apr 24 2011, 6:12PM
#5
RE: Composer of the Fortnight : Gyorgy Kurtag
I'm a contributing writer (i.e., program annotator) for the San Francisco Symphony. This season I wrote the program note for the SFS performance of Kurtág's "Grabstein für Stephan." I hadn't known Kurtág's work at all well before taking on that assignment, but I went through a fair amount of his music while backgrounding the article. I wound up admiring both him and his work immensely.
The SF Symphony publishes all of its program notes online, so the article is still accessible. It's here: http://www.sfsymphony.org/music/ProgramNotes.aspx?id=47938
Mon, Apr 25 2011, 7:46AM
#6
RE: Composer of the Fortnight : Gyorgy Kurtag
Nothing against Krupa Philip, I just find the idea of comparing any musicians based on how fast they can or can´t play stupid. I have a friend who has a pair of cymbals used by Philly Joe, so I can imagine how you feel.
Hope you haven't given up on your composer of the fortnight series, dubrob. Response has been rather weak and I have to say you stumped me with Kurtag. I've never heard him and can't find any of his work in our library. Lack of response to Holmboe was sad, given that we're talking about one of the major symphonists of the back half of the last century. But I've enjoyed the fresh focus on composers I know quite well and you've introduced me to two very worthwhile new experiences - Xenakis and the chamber music of Faure - for which I thank you.