“I’m looking for a note and, maybe, I’ll find it eventually. I may fail. Perhaps the piece is nothing more than an attempt to find it.” —György Kurtág The Játékok (Games) are an autobiographical journey, a laboratory of miniatures that György Kurtág (b. 1926) composed over the course of his lifetime. Moved by nostalgia and an interest in dialoguing with the past, the Játékok “play” with tradition. They include tributes to various masters and friends from the past, folklore, Gregorian chant, declamatory music and improvised gestures. Kurtág composed an enormous catalogue of works (10 volumes, between 1947 and 2011) that resonate with music from the past that he loved best—that of Bach, Schubert, Schumann, Beethoven, Bartók, Webern, Stravinsky, Janáček, etc. “Seeking to recapture the spirit of a child having fun playing the piano, the Játékok touch upon the feeling that everything is coming to an end, while still resonating with the voices of people laughing and whispering all around… “(Alex Ross, The Rest Is Noise) Of Jewish origin, György Kurtág is one of the leading Hungarian composers to survive the communist regime and gain international recognition following its dissolution. Cast in brief forms, his works are mainly dedicated to small ensembles, focusing on the essential and on dramatic effectiveness. As a teacher of piano and chamber music, his pedagogy is central to his creative work. It was from his teaching that he first drew inspiration to write the Játékok. The notation of these pieces, initially graphic and playful, became more standardized with time. As the volumes accrued, Kurtág’s personal world came increasingly into view. We discover several birthday presents to his close friends and colleagues; sometimes his child-like playfulness gives way to grief. I received the 10th volume of the Játékok, which had just been published in 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic. In it I discovered several pieces dedicated to Mártá, Kurtág’s companion who also was a pianist and composer. Over the course of their 60 years together, Kurtág offered her a dozen such birthday presents, most of which, as far as I know, had not yet been recorded. After months of trial and error, I saw a path through. Playfully, I devised a journey sub-divided into 5 “Acts”: Act 1: Heaven and Hell Act 2: The Human World Act 3: To Mártá Kurtág Act 4: Tribute—In Memory of… Act 5: Nature and Transformation “Thank you György, you made us listen to music differently”. (Simon Rattle to Kurtág, in 2017 on the occasion of the composer’s 90th birthday) György Kurtág György Kurtág (b. 1926*) is one of Hungary’s greatest living composers. It may also be said that Kurtág is the only composer and pianist to have lived under the communist regime in Hungary (which lasted from 1949 to1989) and still achieve international renown. Moreover, it is noteworthy that the growing international acceptance of Kurtág’s music is closely linked to the collapse of the Eastern Bloc. He taught piano at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music from 1967 and also chamber music until 1993. Like Ligeti and Bartók, Kurtág was born in Romania. He came to study in Budapest in 1946 and obtained Hungarian citizenship in 1948. It was during this period that he met the pianist Márta Kinsker (1927-2019) who became his lifelong companion and musical partner until her death. Kurtág placed his music (and himself) in the continuum of European art music. His work reflects an interaction between the desire to break new ground and the weight of past traditions. It engages in a dialogue with history, reconciling the urgent need to create something new with the legacy of the past. Brigitte Poulin, piano Montreal-based pianist Brigitte Poulin is an active and accomplished soloist, chamber musician, accompanist and teacher whose repertoire covers all periods from the invention to the deconstruction of the piano. This year, she recorded two albums distributed by Leaf music: the present recording, György Kurtág: Játékok for solo piano and Sayeh-Roshan devoted to new Persian works, with the contrabassist Ali Yazdanfar. Among her most notable collaborations are her participation in Stravinsky's Les Noces with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (conducted by Kent Nagano) in Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire with Patricia Kopatchiskaya (sprechgesang), in Schubert's Piano Trio in B-flat major with violinist Annalee Patipatanakoon and the late cellist Lynn Harrell, as well as two recitals with Silvia Mandolini, violin, at the Venice Biennale. Brigitte Poulin teaches and performs as a collaborative pianist at the Schulich School of Music of McGill University. She is an active faculty member of the Orford Musique Summer Academy, and is regularly called upon to adjudicate at music festivals and competitions across Canada. Her most recent CD recordings include Folklore imaginaire featuring music by Ana Sokolović (Naxos), with Ensemble Transmission; Pierrot lunaire (ATMA Classique) with soprano Ingrid Schmithüsen; and Édifices Naturels (Dame) for solo piano. Her performances are available on Naxos Records, Spotify and YouTube.