Un portrait de György Ligeti

 

Un excellent film documentaire autour du paysage musical du compositeur György Ligeti, à travers un voyage en train où il raconte son enfance, la folie nazie et le soulèvement de Budapest qui ont précédé son exil, mais aussi bien sûr, sa musique. Ce film réalisé par Michel Follin (pour la Sept devenue plus tard Arte) a été récompensé en 1994 par le Grand Prix de la SACEM dans la catégorie du documentaire de création musicale. Il éclaire parfaitement l'itinéraire artistique de ce compositeur hors-pair à travers ce voyage ferroviaire pendant lequel Ligeti évoque son histoire.

The Hungarian composer György Ligeti's biography typifies the displaced cosmopolitan, truly at home only in the international community of music. Appropriately enough, this revealing film portrait of his life and music has a train journey as its central metaphor, with Ligeti gazing through the window onto the changing middle-European landscape. His music - innovative, complex, brilliantly eclectic - accompanies his reflections and memories. 

 

 

*I°I*

Vertige

Dedicated to Maurizio Kagel, "Etude N°9" for piano was created by Ligeti circa 1990, using chromatic scales to create a sensation of fall without end. Influenced by the works of Conlon Nancarrow for mechanical piano, he wanted "unplayable" arrangements.
"Vertige" (title of etude N°9) was transcribed for the Player Piano under the direction of Ligeti himself.

and played by the pianist Thibaut Surugue

***

Xamp

 

Le duo Xamp est composé de Fanny Vicens et Etienne Sotty. Ce duo collabore avec un grand nombre de compositeurs contemporains qui écrivent pour l'accordéon depuis le regain d'intérêt porté à cet instrument. Ce duo d'accordéons transpose et joue également de nombreuses oeuvres célèbres du répertoire du XXème siècle, de Stockhausen à Ligeti, en passant par Tom Johnson, Steve Reich, Igor Stravinsky, John Cage, György Kurtág et bien d'autres. Un must!

 

 

extrait de l'article paru dans Le Monde le 5 janvier 2021  

 

 

"Musica Ricercata 7" de Ligeti transposée pour deux accordéons.

 

à écouter également "Wander steps", une pièce de Pascale Criton.

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Mambo 7/16

  














Roberto Sierra is an american composer, born in Vega Baja in Puerto Rico in 1953.
He studied composition with Ligeti, and is now professor at Cornell University in NYC.
He found a very personal style, incorporating in his work elements of folk music and folkloric Caribbean.
Among a long list of compositions for solo instruments and different ensembles, "Concierto Barroco" (for guitar and orchestra) takes its inspiration from a scene in Alejo Carpentier's eponym novel.

Here is the "Mambo 7/16" played by Cuarteto Latinoamericano
 

and you can also listen to Roberto Sierra' other works

Elisabeth Chojnacka

RIP Elisabeth Chojnacka, one of the best harpsichord player in the last decennies, 

so famous for contemporary music...

She loved to play Maurice Ohana (Wamba et Conga - 1983), Henryk Górecki (Concerto pour clavecin - 1980), Toshi Ichiyanagi, Franco Donatoni, Marius Constant, Francis Poulenc, Luc Ferrari, André Boucourechliev, Francis Miroglio, Aldo Clementi, Roberto Carnevale, Betsy Jolas, Manuel de Falla, Jean Wiener, Krzysztof Meyer 

as well lot of contemporary legends just composed for her harpsichord' pieces: György Ligeti, François-Bernard Mâche, Iannis Xenakis, Zygmunt Krauze and Michael Nyman.

"Wamba et Conga" - Maurice Ohana - played by Elisabeth Chojnacka,

Recorded in October 1987 in Studio 107, Maison de Radio France, Paris

"Hungarian Rock" (Chaconne) - György Ligeti by Elisabeth Chojnacka

"Insertions" (de Francis Miroglio) fait aussi appel à la forme ouverte comme Archipel Vb (1970) et Anarchipel (1971) d’André Boucourechliev, ainsi que Musical Box (1970) de Georges Aperghis. ... "Insertions" se compose de huit séquences dont l’enchaînement est libre, et dont la dernière fait appel à l’imagination et à la créativité de l’interprète qui la construit à l’aide de motifs désignés par le compositeur dans les séquences précédentes..." 
Emmanuelle Tat - Le Clavecin en France

"Insertions" composed by Francis Miroglio

Piece for Ligeti

As well Ligeti was influenced by Conlon Nancarrow , writing the piano piece's "Vertige",
Conlon himself wrote a mechanical piano piece as a tribute to Ligeti for his 65th birthday.

*****

"Dear Mr. Ligeti: About six months ago I was advised from Germany that they were sending me three records of your music. They just arrived. I am overwhelmed. Thanks for having them sent. For some time I have been very flattered by the things you have been saying about my music. Of course I knew that you were a famous composer, but I had not heard a note of your music. Well, now I have, and am very impressed. I haven't felt such excitement since Bartok and Stravinsky. By the way, are the String Quartets published? I would like to see the scores. I understand that you will be at the ISCM festival in Graz. I look forward to seeing you. Best regards, Conlon Nancarrow."
(a message from Nancarrows to Ligeti - 30 june 1982)

"Dear Mr. Nancarrow, thank you so much for your letter, it is the greatest pleasure for me. Since I know your music (i.e. since summer 1980 when I heard the first two records of your Studies) I love your music more than any other music of a now living composer. Since then I got also the third record and a number of scores published by Mr. Garland both in Soundings and separately. It's very hard to get your records in Europe, therefore -- I hope you don't object -- I made a great number of tape copies for friends, so your Studies reached even some East European countries.... I didn't know your address until your letter came...I'm very happy to meet you in Graz... I have the honour to introduce your music at the ISCM festival and I look very much foreward for this event and for your personal presence there... ' (a Ligeti's letter to Nancarrow - 20 august 1982)

Articulations

An interesting lecture of the score of György Ligeti's electronic piece "articulations"

and a brilliant portrait of this main composer directed by Michel Follin - 1993
build across a train journey as its central metaphor
in french langage