The Art of Listening

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1. Péter Eötvös: Speaking Drums (2013)
2. György Kurtág: …feuilles mortes…(2004)
3. György Kurtág: four pieces from Játékok [Games], Books 1-3

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Two rather different composers to end with.

Eötvös was at first known principally as a conductor – he directed the Ensemble inter-contemporain (founded by Pierre Boulez in 1976) from 1979 to 1991- and it was only latterly that his work as a composer (mainly of operas) achieved international recognition.

Kurtág, also, was slow to achieve an international profile. But there the similarity between the two ends. Kurtág works mostly with miniatures – a parallel is often drawn with the music of Webern – while Eötvös preferred the much larger canvas of the opera house (though there is an opera by Kurtág, a setting of Samuel Beckett’s post apocalyptic Fin de Partie [Endgame]).

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Péter Eötvös: Speaking Drums (2013)

A concerto for talking percussionist?

I. Tanzlied 00:49
II. Nonsense Songs 05:09
III. Passacaglia. Intrada – Saltarello – Bourrée – Passepied – Gigue – Allemande – Finale 12:18

… and here you can explore two of Eötvös’s operas:

Valuska (English subtitles)
Tri Sestri (French subtitles)

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A collection of Kurtág’s gnomic piano pieces, illustrating his very personal take on notation:

György Kurtág: …feuilles mortes…(2004)

György Kurtág: four pieces from Játékok [Games], Books 1-3

… with a graphic score:

… senza misura [without barlines]:

… cluster chords [Tenyeres = palmed]:

… loud clusters contrasted with quiet dolce :

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◄ 9. Le Grand Macabre

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