This album presents five pivotal works by György Ligeti, reflecting the evolution of his compositional voice from post-war experimentation to internationally recognized innovation.
Metamorphoses nocturnes (1953–54), Ligeti’s String Quartet No. 1, shows the influence of Bartók, Berg, and Stravinsky, but also hints at the distinct micropolyphonic style he would later develop. Built as a seamless chain of contrasting sections, the piece begins with a tiny motif that grows through chromatic, often ironic, transformations.
Musica ricercata (1951–53) is a suite of piano studies exploring sound from minimal beginnings. The first movement uses only one pitch class (A), with each successive movement gradually introducing more tones, culminating in a full twelve-tone exploration by the end—an early and boldly original response to Ligeti’s creative isolation in postwar Hungary.
Continuum (1968) for harpsichord is a relentless prestissimo piece, only four minutes long but technically and aurally intense. It pushes the limits of performer and instrument to blur the line between discrete notes and continuous sound, yielding a hypnotic, tightly compressed musical world.
Double Concerto (1971–72) for flute, oboe, and orchestra introduces microintervals and coloristic innovation. The two movements contrast restrained beauty with a virtuosic, almost surreal climax, requiring advanced techniques and creating a glowing, high-tension soundscape.
San Francisco Polyphony (1973–74) culminates Ligeti’s shift toward transparent, graphically conceived polyphony. Its diverging melodic lines evoke both chaos and structure, producing a dazzling orchestral texture that is dry, precise, and rigorously crafted.
Supervised and approved by Ligeti himself, these recordings capture the composer’s journey from dense chromatic webs to lucid, multidimensional sonic landscapes.
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