Gyorgy Ligeti, 1923-2006

| 1 Comment

Gyorgy Ligeti, 1923-2006

Gyorgy Ligeti, one of the greatest composers of the 20th century, died today.

This is one of my favorite CDs for introducing people to his music. I was lucky enough to hear a performance of the Violin Concerto with Laura Park and the Brooklyn Philharmonic in the late 90s.

[image from the Schott website]

1 Comment

I like his chamber music, but for me the strongest and most idiosyncratic stuff was his choral pieces, especially as heard on the "2001: A Space Odyssey" soundtrack.

A piece called "Lux Aeterna" I think, choral and orchestra: if you listen closely, as timpanis roll in you can a few times hear the clack of the drummer's 'stick' on the rim of the timpani. Almost certainly accidental, yet somehow perfect.

Really an amazing composer. Breathtaking freedom, no taint I've ever detected of pop or nationalist inclination. Truly a free mind.

Monthly Archives

Powered by Movable Type 5.2.13

About this Entry

This page contains a single entry by published on June 12, 2006 6:30 PM.

'Amadeus' as a riff on Pushkin was the previous entry in this blog.

"[Enter] Nature" at GalerĂ­a Galou is the next entry in this blog.

Find recent content on the main index or look in the archives to find all content.