Notes and Editorial Reviews
Lux Aeterna put Ligeti on the map for the wider public when Stanley Kubrick appropriated it for its unearthly effect in his film 2001, A Space Odyssey. But his music began firmly in his Hungarian roots, and bears a debt to Bartók and Kodály. Both sides of this modern master are heard here. The Hungarian composer György Ligeti (1923-2006) was born in Romania of Hungarian Jewish parents. As a Jew living in mid-20th-century central-Europe, Ligeti's early musical training was interrupted by World War II. He was detained in a Nazi labour camp while other members of his family were sent to Auschwitz: only he and his mother survived the War. At the cessation of hostilities Ligeti continued his studies in Budapest until 1956, when the Soviets
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repressed the Hungarian revolution. He fled to Vienna and, some years later, became an Austrian citizen. Now in the West, Ligeti was free to develop and meet the leading composers in European avant-garde music of the time. Figures like Karlheinz Stockhausen, Gottfried Koenig and Herbert Eimert encouraged him to join them at the electronic music studio of Westdeutscher Rundfunk in Cologne. It was the premičre of his Apparitions in 1960 that launched his international career. The first disc in this set comprises the two string quartets from 1953/54 and 1968 respectively; Ramifications from 1968/69 and the Six Bagatelles from 1953 (these last two recordings are new to CD). The second disc contains a selection of Ligeti's vocal works. Ligeti died in June of 2006 in Vienna and was buried there. He is, perhaps, best known for the various pieces of his music that Stanley Kubrick used in several of his films, notably 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Shining, and Eyes Wide Shut Read less
Works on This Recording
1.
Quartet for Strings no 1 "Métamorphoses nocturnes" by György Ligeti
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Artemis String Quartet
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1953-1954; Hungary
2.
Quartet for Strings no 2 by György Ligeti
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Artemis String Quartet
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1968; Vienna, Austria
3.
Ramifications for 12 Strings by György Ligeti
Conductor:
Louis Auriacombe
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Toulouse Chamber Orchestra
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1968-1969; Vienna, Austria
4.
Bagatelles (6) for Wind Quintet by György Ligeti
Performer:
Barry Tuckwell (French Horn)
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Barry Tuckwell Wind Quintet
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1953; Hungary
5.
Lux aeterna by György Ligeti
Conductor:
Guy Reibel
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Groupe Vocal de France
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1966; Vienna, Austria
6.
Phantasien (3) by György Ligeti
Conductor:
Guy Reibel
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Groupe Vocal de France
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1982; Berlin, Germany
7.
Hungarian Etudes (3) for Chorus by György Ligeti
Conductor:
Guy Reibel
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Groupe Vocal de France
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1983; Berlin, Germany
8.
Hungarian Folk Song(s) by György Ligeti
Conductor:
Guy Reibel
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Groupe Vocal de France
9.
Mátraszentimre Songs: no 1, Three barrels by György Ligeti
Conductor:
Guy Reibel
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Groupe Vocal de France
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1955; Hungary
10.
Mátraszentimre Songs: no 2, True love by György Ligeti
Conductor:
Guy Reibel
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Groupe Vocal de France
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1955; Hungary
11.
Mátraszentimre Songs: no 3, Pom-pom by György Ligeti
Conductor:
Guy Reibel
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Groupe Vocal de France
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1955; Hungary
12.
Mátraszentimre Songs: no 4, Out in the woods by György Ligeti
Conductor:
Guy Reibel
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Groupe Vocal de France
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1955; Hungary
Sound Samples
String Quartet No 1 'Metamorphoses Nocturnes': Allegro grazioso
String Quartet No 1 'Metamorphoses Nocturnes': Vivace, capriccioso
String Quartet No 1 'Metamorphoses Nocturnes': Adagio mesto
String Quartet No 1 'Metamorphoses Nocturnes': Presto
String Quartet No 1 'Metamorphoses Nocturnes': Prestissimo
String Quartet No 1 'Metamorphoses Nocturnes': Andante tranquillo
String Quartet No 1 'Metamorphoses Nocturnes': Tempo di Valse, moderato con eleganza, un poco capriccioso
String Quartet No 1 'Metamorphoses Nocturnes': Subito prestissimo
String Quartet No 1 'Metamorphoses Nocturnes': Allegretto, un poco gioviale
String Quartet No 1 'Metamorphoses Nocturnes': Prestissimo
String Quartet No 1 'Metamorphoses Nocturnes': Ad libitum, senza misura
String Quartet No 1 'Metamorphoses Nocturnes': Lento
String Quartet No 2: Allegro nevoso
String Quartet No 2: Sostenuto, molto calmo
String Quartet No 2: Come un meccanismo di precisione
String Quartet No 2: Presto furioso, brutale, tumultuoso
String Quartet No 2: Allegro con delicatezza
Ramifications For 12 String Instruments (Remasterisé En 2010)
Six Bagatelles for wind quartet: I. Allegro con spirito
Six Bagatelles for wind quartet: II. Rubato. Lamentoso
Six Bagatelles for wind quartet: III. Allegro grazioso
Six Bagatelles for wind quartet: IV. Presto ruvido
Six Bagatelles for wind quartet: V. Adagio. Mesto (Béla Bartók in memoriam)
Six Bagatelles for wind quartet: VI. Molto vivace. Capriccioso
Three Fantasies: I. Hälfte des Lebens
Three Fantasies: II. Wenn aus der Ferne
Three Fantasies: III. Abendphantasie
Hungarian Studies: I. Mirror Canon
Hungarian Studies: II. Study
Hungarian Studies: III. Vásár (Fair)
Three Hungarian Folksongs: Bujdosó (Song of exile)
Three Hungarian Folksongs: Kállai kettös (Kalla's pas de deux)
Three Hungarian Folksongs: Lakodalmas (The wedding)
Mátraszentimrei dalok (Songs from the Mátraszentimre region): Három hordó (Three barrels)
Mátraszentimrei dalok (Songs from the Mátraszentimre region): Igaz szerelem (True love)
Mátraszentimrei dalok (Songs from the Mátraszentimre region): Gomb, gomb (Pom-pom)
Mátraszentimrei dalok (Songs from the Mátraszentimre region): Erdöbe, erdöbe (Out in the woods)
Pletykázó asszonyok (The gossips)
Haj, ifjuság! (Oh, youth!)
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