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77K views 333 replies 110 participants last post by  Richannes Wrahms 
#1 ·
Ligeti anyone?

Today I decided to listen to some pieces I hadn't listened to in a long time, and there he was, in the bottom of huge pile of CDs and scores, Ligeti. Right now I'm listening to his Chamber concerto for 13 instrumentalists and I realize: I like him even more than before.

Other important Ligeti suggestions:

-Melodien

-Piano concerto

-Atmospheres

-Lontano

-San Francisco Polyphony

-Musica Ricercata

-Etudes pour piano (3 volumes)

-both his String Quartets

-Lux Aeterna

-Apparitions

-Violin concerto
 
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#44 ·
Your orchestration of the Etudes sounds interesting, Scott Good. It's apt how you say they would (still) be difficult to perform, because Ligeti thought the same thing. A number of them, I have read, where composed solely for mechanical piano (does anyone know what this is exactly?).

I'm actually really getting into some of the C20th solo piano repertoire. I'm beginning to appreciate the unique colours and textures of this instrument. & Ligeti's Etudes seem to be a pinnacle of the repertoire.

By the way, I don't think I'm that eloquent, it's just that I've read many music reviews & books, which I think help me to put into words what I feel about music that I enjoy. They kind of rub off on me. But I'm glad you enjoyed my impressions...
 
#45 ·
Your orchestration of the Etudes sounds interesting, Scott Good. It's apt how you say they would (still) be difficult to perform, because Ligeti thought the same thing. A number of them, I have read, where composed solely for mechanical piano (does anyone know what this is exactly?).
Perhaps he meant player piano.

I'm actually really getting into some of the C20th solo piano repertoire. I'm beginning to appreciate the unique colours and textures of this instrument. & Ligeti's Etudes seem to be a pinnacle of the repertoire.
For sure.

Have you heard Night Fantasies by Elliot Carter - amazing music. I also quite like Phrygian Gates by John Adams. Completely different sides of the coin.

Nono wrote some great music for piano as well. And Ginastera. And...and...

Hummm...I wonder what Sculthorpe does with a piano?

By the way, I don't think I'm that eloquent, it's just that I've read many music reviews & books, which I think help me to put into words what I feel about music that I enjoy. They kind of rub off on me. But I'm glad you enjoyed my impressions...
For sure. But there is a genuine searching in the way you write that is open and caring.
 
#47 ·
I like the stuff Kubrick used in '2001', but I am not familiar with anything else. There is so much music to listen to, and so little money with which to buy recordings or concert tickets. Alas, our local classical music radio station (ABC Classic FM) does not give much air time to Legiti. I will get to him some day I guess.
 
#48 ·
Hi AussieGuy,
If you would like to see some Ligeti performed really well without spending a lot, you could try the digital concert house of the Berliner Philhamoniker. Many of the concerts in the archive and many live ones coming up have Ligeti in their program. Individual concerts are just under 10 euros, which I think is great for what you get. You can also purchase individual pieces of the program, but you will see that the they are niecely paired up with other pieces.
Here is the link: http://dch.berliner-philharmoniker.de/
 
#52 ·
I've now got a handful of discs from Ligeti, and I am eager for more.

Recently, I got the Parker Quartet on Naxos performing what (I think?) are the complete works for string quartet: the Andante & Allegretto (1950), String Quartet No. 1 (1952-53), String Quartet No. 2 (1968).

Andante & Allegretto is basically a tonal work which reminds one of Vaughan Williams & especially Kodaly. String Quartet No. 1 "Metamorphoses Nocturnes" is my favourite. It is like one of those Baroque paintings which are aimed at tricking the observer into thinking that the painting is real. Ligeti peels back the facade of what is a conventional string quartet. He presents themes and then deconstructs and distorts them with ingenious changes in tempo, mood and timbre. This is most easy to recognise in the waltz movement. & in the finale it's all back-to-front, at first there's no theme in sight, he gradually builds up to one, and then presents a "false" ending, the real ending is eery and quiet. String Quartet No. 2 is also a masterpiece, further stretching the boundaries of what a string quartet is. It is full of colour and texture, and has a middle movement labelled "precise and mechanical," it's like a perpetuum mobile machine that goes haywire. I think this guy had a wicked sense of humour to write music like this. Highly recommended for all string quartet buffs out there...
 
#58 ·
It's a splendid recording - the sinister agitations of his string quartets (Metamorphoses nocturnes) are eerily beautiful in their recording here. Still, the later (and cheaper) Parker Quartet version is strangely more satisfying for me! :eek:

Ligeti's cello sonata is also worthwhile discovering. It is one of the outstanding 20th century solo cello pieces for me. Instead of the ubiquitous Matt Haimovitz version, I'm really liking the Mikolaj Patosz recording.

 
#56 ·
Come to think of it, I think Ligeti was bigger than to be stuck in Hungary, regardless of the political climate when he left (Communism). I think he would have probably left anyway, the place was too provincial. Even if he ended up just over the border in Vienna, he was more connected there to the musical & artistic currents coming from the rest of Europe...
 
#60 ·
Just get that Arditti CD. The composer is listed as avant gardist so I prepared for most bizzare outcome, but thanks to the Holy Creator, he did not outdone it! The first string quartet is surprisingly poetic, more minimalist/simplicy if I use my limited wording. The second one is yes a bit bizzare. I admire the Quartet who can interpreted this piece in virtuosity. Should be an interesting piece to have more than one interpreter.

the others pieces (ballads, duets etc.) is surprisingly tonal and minimal.
 
#61 ·
I decided to resurrect this thread since I've been getting into Ligeti. I bought the Teldec box several months ago, but it was missing disc 4, so I still haven't heard the Requiem. After returning it, I decided to try the Clear Or Cloudy set on DG. I like this one a lot as it contains quite a bit of his chamber music including some pieces not included on the Teldec box. The Sonata for Solo Cello is one of my favorite pieces on the entire set.

I find it unfortunate that some so called "music lovers" continue to make derogatory comments concerning the avant garde. My prescription for this type of reactionary attitude is a copy of Slonimsky's A Lexicon Of Musical Invective. Time and perspective reveals the smugness and silliness of this mindset.
 
#62 ·
I have heard some of Ligeti but relatively little (Atmospheres and the violin concerto). Modern music is still quite a challenge for me so what I heard was not to my liking. Many people speak quite highly of Ligeti (I have heard him, described as a modern day Mozart), so I would like to try again. Rather than just sample randomly I'd rather hear some suggestions of works that might be less daunting to someone with my experience.

Any suggestions?
 
#63 ·
Many people speak quite highly of Ligeti (I have heard him, described as a modern day Mozart), so I would like to try again. Rather than just sample randomly I'd rather hear some suggestions of works that might be less daunting to someone with my experience.

Any suggestions?
I really love the three books of Études by Ligeti, and I think any fan of the solo piano repertoire probably would too. What I love is that these works show a creativity that go beyond the rules of post-WWII classical music and display a truly tremendous diversity in harmony and rhythm. Like Debussy and Chopin's etudes, they are highly evocative but never quite cross over to the side of being purely programmatic. Each etude is like a fresh new discovery that attempts to explore something new - an interesting technique perhaps, or maybe just a quirky rhythm or set of harmonies. The wonderful thing about Ligeti is that he never comes off as being pretentious, and there's always an attractive emotional component to his music as well as an intellectual one.
 
#68 ·
I couldn't seem to find a thread here for my favourite composer (who just so happens to be György Ligeti) so instead of searching the archives I decided to make one instead.

Here we are. György Ligeti.



My favourite piece by Ligeti (that I have heard) is the Kammerkonzert. I have listened to it time and time again, and every time I hear it I notice something new and interesting that makes me wonder why I hadn't thought of that before. As I have studied the work in quite some detail, I understand the work pretty well and that adds to my enjoyment. :tiphat:
 
#70 ·
There is a five page thread in the composer's guestbook if you're interested in reading the comments. I'm slowing getting familiar with the set pictured in my avatar.
 
#83 ·
Try the Six Bagatelles For Wind Quintet, or 10 Pieces For Wind Quintet.

As for the rest of his output, it ain't gonna sound like baroque music.
 
#84 ·
Yeah I knew I was in for something really different. I was hoping for some consonance within the dissonance. But I'll give it repeated listenings to see if I can get into it. Maybe it's just not my type of music. Allan Holdsworth I know uses dissonance but he still makes it work as there is plenty of consonance as well.
 
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