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1948 – 2001: A Ligeti Odyssey

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Label
Catalogue numberBIS-1503 CD
Release date2012-11-01
Discs1
Orig. sample rate44100Hz
Total time81:25

This chronological exploration of the musical universe of György Ligeti begins in 1948, with a brief piece for solo piano composed by a 25-year old music student in Budapest and ends with his final compositions, also for solo piano, when Ligeti had long since become established as one of the truly great figures of 20th-century music.
On the way, it takes in a number of works which demonstrate the kaleidoscopic qualities of the composer and his oeuvre – from the sharply delineated sense of humour displayed in the Six Bagatelles to the otherworldliness of Lux Aeterna (used by Stanley Kubrick in his film 2001 – a space odyssey), and the sheer mass of Volumina for organ, in which the performer uses elbows, arms and the palms of his hands in order to strike the largest possible number of keys at the same time.
The music and its creator are described in an enlightening essay by the musicologist Arnold Whittall, who quotes a remark by Ligeti himself as one explanation for this almost bewildering range of moods and atmospheres: ‘every­thing that is direct and unambiguous is alien to me’. Ligeti’s œuvre certainly bears this out, while also testifying to another observation by the composer: ‘what is serious is at the same time comical, and the comical is terrifying’.
The present, amply filled anthology brings together some seminal Ligeti works in interpretations that were highly praised when originally released, by performers of international standing, including Nobuko Imai, the Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet, Fredrik Ullén and Hans-Ola Ericsson, as well as the eminent vocal ensemble Schola Heidelberg.
 
  • CD QUALITY | MP3
    File formats included in CD QUALITY | MP3
    • FLAC 16-bit Stereo
    • MP3 Stereo
$ 12.01
 
Extra material for download
 
01 Invention (1948) 01:08 $ 0.17 USD
 
  Composer: Ligeti, György
  Six Bagatelles for Wind Quintet (1953) 11:17
02 I. Allegro con spirito 01:02 $ 0.16 USD
03 II. Ribato. Lamentoso 03:06 $ 0.47 USD
04 III. Allegro grazioso 02:28 $ 0.37 USD
05 IV. Presto ruvido 00:58 $ 0.15 USD
06 V. Adagio. Mesto (Béla Bartók in memoriam) 02:23 $ 0.36 USD
07 VI. Molto vivace. Capriccioso 01:20 $ 0.20 USD
 
08 Volumina for organ (1961–62, rev. 1966) 17:34 $ 2.64 USD
09 Lux aeterna for 16-part mixed choir a cappella (1966) 08:35 $ 1.29 USD
 
  Composer: Ligeti, György
  Ten Pieces for Wind Quintet (1968) 13:21
10 I. Molto sostenuto e calmo 02:28 $ 0.37 USD
11 II. Prestissimo minaccioso e burlesco 00:47 $ 0.12 USD
12 III. Lento 01:39 $ 0.25 USD
13 IV. Prestissimo leggiero e virtuoso 00:50 $ 0.13 USD
14 V. Prestissimo staccatissimo e leggiero 00:28 $ 0.07 USD
15 VI. Prestissimo staccatissimo e leggiero 01:04 $ 0.16 USD
16 VII. Vivo, energico 01:00 $ 0.15 USD
17 VIII. Allegro con delicatezza 02:44 $ 0.41 USD
18 IX. Sostenuto, stridente 01:13 $ 0.18 USD
19 X. Presto bizzarro e rubato 01:08 $ 0.17 USD
 
 
  Composer: Ligeti, György
  Sonata for Solo Viola (1991–94) 22:40
20 I. Hora lungˇa 05:30 $ 0.83 USD
21 II. Loop 02:36 $ 0.39 USD
22 III. Facsar 06:10 $ 0.93 USD
23 IV. Prestissimo con sordino 01:32 $ 0.23 USD
24 V. Lamento 03:33 $ 0.53 USD
25 VI. Chaconne chromatique 03:19 $ 0.50 USD
 
 
  Composer: Ligeti, György
  from Études pour piano (1985–2001) 05:29
26 3. Touches bloquées (from 1er livre, 1985) 01:46 $ 0.27 USD
27 18. Canon (from 3ème livre, 2001) 01:28 $ 0.22 USD
28 17. À bout de souffle (from 3ème livre, 1997) 02:15 $ 0.34 USD
 
  Album total 81:25
ComposerLigeti, György
PianoUllén, Fredrik
WindsBerlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet
OrganEricsson, Hans-Ola
ChoirSchola Heidelberg
ViolaImai, Nobuko

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