Kurtag

This Montaigne disc (a 2001 reissue of 1990 recordings) contains string quartets by three contemporary composers in the post-Webernian tradition. In the spotlight is Gyorgy Kurtag, the Hungarian composer who famously bloomed late with a relatively small body of music, who contributes three pieces. The disc is filled out with the string quartet of Witold Lutoslawski and the second quartet of Sofia Gubaidulina. Kurtag's quartets are some of the finest of the 20th century, clearly fusing Webern and Bartok.

These previously unreleased live recordings from Lucerne present Sir András Schiff with two composers rarely found in his discography or concert programmes: Domenico Scarlatti and György Kurtág. Though separated by centuries, both are masters of musical miniature. Although Schiff had already engaged with Scarlatti during his student years, the Baroque composer gradually disappeared from his repertoire. In Lucerne, he returned to Scarlatti with renewed insight, performing thirteen carefully selected sonatas in a dramaturgically shaped sequence. In response to the live setting, Schiff plays with bold risk-taking, vivid characterisation, and an acute sensitivity to sound. From György Kurtág's Játékok ("Games") - a diary-like collection of piano miniatures - Schiff presents an equally curated selection, incorporating suggestions made by Kurtág himself.

Bach, Kurtág, Busoni - Piano Duet - GrauSchumacher Piano Duo (2007)
Classical | EAC: FLAC+Cue+Log | 1 Cd, Covers | 273 Mb
Label: col legno - Date: 2007

Andreas Grau and Götz Schumacher, with their talent for putting together clever and innovative programs, have established themselves as one of the world's top piano duos. Their cooperation at the piano is evidence that the two expert pianists are nothing short of musical soul mates…

The great viola player Kim Kashkashian has long been one of the most outstanding protagonists of modern composition and this bold and subtle account of solo music by the great Hungarian composers György Kurtág and György Ligeti is a landmark recording. Kurtág’s Signs, Games and Messages (1989- in progress) in its 19 aphoristic sections is as demanding as Ligeti’s Sonata for viola (1991-94), but Kashkashian surmounts the very different challenges of the works, and points towards the qualities that unite these composers. As ever, she gets to the heart of the music, and unravels its secrets.