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György Ligeti

György Ligeti

Country of origin: Romania
Birthday: May 28, 1923
Date of death: June 12, 2006

Upcoming Performances

Ramifications
Conductor: Johannes Marmén
Orchestra: Musica Vitae
April 5, 2024 | Växjö (Sweden) , Nygatan 6
Doppelkonzert
Conductor: Gabriel Bebeselea
Orchestra: Zagrebačka filharmonija
April 5, 2024 | Zagreb (Croatia) , Koncertna dvorana Vatroslava Lisinskog

About György Ligeti

I almost always associate colours, form and consistencies with sounds and vice versa also associate all acoustic sensations with form, colour and material properties. Even abstract terms such as quantity, relationships, coherences and processes appear to me to be sensualised and have their place in an imaginary space. (György Ligeti)

György Ligeti was born on 28.5.1923 as the son of Hungarian-Jewish parents in Dicsőszentmárton (now known as Târnǎveni, in Transylvania/Romania). He studied at the Conservatory in Klausenburg with Ferenc Farkas from 1941 to 1943 and from 1945 to 1949 at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest with Sándor Veress, Pál Járdányi and Lajos Bárdos. Following the abatement of the Hungarian Revolution, he left his native country in December 1956 for both political and artistic reasons. During his time as freelancer in the West German Radio studio for electronic music in Cologne (1957-58), he undertook an intense study of the music of Karlheinz Stockhausen, Mauricio Kagel and Pierre Boulez. In the 1960s, Ligeti was associate professor at the Summer School for Contemporary Music in Darmstadt and guest professor at the Royal Swedish Academy of Music in Stockholm. He received a scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Programme (DAAD) in Berlin for 1969-70 and was Composer in Residence at the Stanford University in California in 1972 before being appointed as Professor for Composition at the Hamburg Musikhochschule the following year. The composer made a substantial impact on international contemporary music both as a university professor (up to 1989) and as an active member of the music scene and became the musical aesthetic benchmark for a whole generation. György Ligeti died in Vienna on 12 June 2006.

In specialist musical circles, György Ligeti had already caused a sensation with his electronic composition Artikulation (1958) which had been produced in the Cologne recording studio. He subsequently gained immediate fame throughout the musical world with his orchestral works Apparitions (1958-59) and Atmosphères (1961). Leanings towards extreme micro-polyphony were already visible in the works he had previously composed in Hungary, for example the a capella choral works Éjszaka and Reggel from1955. In the works from the late 1950s and 1960s, the concept of an extremely densely interwoven voice structure was increasingly contrasted with static tonal-spatial compositions. This was achieved with stunning effect: the maximum degree of movement in the voices develops into an audibly perceived spatially “static” music. In the 1980s and 1990s, complex polyrhythmic compositional techniques come to the foreground in Ligeti’s works. This development can be followed clearly in the Etudes pour piano which were published in three volumes and span the compositional period between 1985 and 2001. During the same period, Ligeti was working on the solo concertos for Piano and Orchestra (1985-88) and Violin and Orchestra (1990/92). These compositions – together with the Hamburg Concerto for horn und chamber orchestra (1998/99) – have subsequently been adopted in the solo repertoire of numerous soloists.

Ligeti’s full-length stage work Le Grand Macabre was composed between 1974 and 1977 (revised version 1996) and was based on a fable by Michel de Ghelderode. The persiflage on the Last Judgement in the imaginary country of “Breughelland” develops into an absurd display of the all too human needs of its citizens. Ligeti also utilises the medium of parody in his music which ranges from acrobatic bel canto and complex tone row structures to grotesque sprechgesang.

Alongside membership in the Free Academy of Arts in Hamburg and the Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, György Ligeti was honoured as the recipient of numerous prizes: the following list includes only a selection of these awards: Commandeur dans l'Ordre National des Arts et Lettres, Prix de composition musicale de la Fondation Prince Pierre de Monaco (both in 1988), the Music Prize from the Balzan Foundation (1991), the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize (1993), the UNESCO-IMC Music Prize (1996), honorary membership  in the Romanian Academy (1997) and nomination as Associé étranger der Académie des Beaux Arts (1998). Ligeti additionally received the Sibelius Prize from the Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation (2000), the Kyoto Prize for Art and Science (2001), the Medal for Art and Science from the Senate of the City of Hamburg (2003), the Theodor W. Adorno Prize from the City of Frankfurt (2003) and the Polar Music Prize from the Royal Swedish Academy of Music (2004).

Worklist

Chronology

1923
Born 28 May in Dicsőszentmárton (now called Târnǎveni), Transylvania (Romania)
1941
Graduate from secondary school in Klausenburg (Transylvania)
1941-43
Study of composition with Ferenc Farkas at the Klausenburg Conservatory
1942-43
In between: studies with Pál Kadosa in Budapest
1945-49
Studies with Sándor Veress, Pál Járdányi, Ferenc Farkas and Lajos Bárdos at the Budapest Academy of Music
1946-47
"3 Songs" after Sandor Weöres
1950-56
Lecturer at the Budapest Academy of Music
1950-53
"Musica Ricercata" for piano
1953
"Six Bagatelles" for wind quintet
1953-54
String Quartet no. 1 "Métarmorphoses nocturnes"
1955
A cappella choral music: "Night" and "Morning"
1956
Flees to Austria after the uprising in Hungary
1957-58
Free-lance work at the studio for electronic music of the West German Radio in Cologne
1958
"Artikulation", electronic composition
1958-59
"Apparitions" for orchestra
1959-69
Residence in Vienna
1959-72
Lecturer at the Darmstadt Music Courses
1960
World première of "Apparitions" on the occasion of the ISCM Festival in Cologne
1961-71
Visiting professor at the Stockholm Music Academy
1961
Composition course in Madrid
1961
"Atmosphères" for large orchestra
1961-62
"Volumina" for organ
1962
Composition course th the Gaudeamus Foundation in Bilthoven (Netherlands)
1962
"Poème Symphonique" for 100 metronomes
1962
"Aventures" for 3 singers and 7 instrumentalists
1962-65
"Nouvelles Aventures" for 3 singers and 7 instrumentalists
1963
Composition course in Bilthoven and at the Folkwangschule in Essen (Germany)
1963-65
"Requiem"
1964
Composition course at the Folkwangschule in Essen (Germany) and in Jyväskylä (Finnland)
1964
1st prize in the Composition Competition organized by the Internatioinal Society for Contemporary Music, Rome, for "Apparations"; Member of the Swedish Academy of Music, Stockholm
1965
Composition course in Jyväskylä
1965
Prize ot the Koussevitzky Foundation, Washington
1966
"Lux aeterna" for 16-part mixed choir a cappella; "Concerto for Cello and Orchestra"; Scenic version of "Aventures" and "Nouvelles Aventures"
1966
1st prize in the Composition Competition of the International Society for Contemporary Music, Rome, for "Requiem"
1967
"Lontano" for large orchestra – beginning of the collaboration with Schott
1967
First study for organ: "Harmonies"
1967
Becomes an Austrian citizen
1967
Beethoven Prize of the City of Bonn for "Requiem"; Medal of Honour awarded by the University of Helsinki
1968
"Continuum" for harpsichord; "String Quartet no. 2"; "Ten Pieces" for wind quintet
1968
Member of the Akademie der Künste, Berlin
1968-69
"Ramifications" für string orchestra or 12 solo strings
1969-73
Residence in Berlin and Vienna
1969-70
Scholarship of the German Academic Exchange Organization (DAAD), Berlin
1969
Second study for organ "Coulée"
1969
Honorary member of the Musikverein für Steiermark; 1st prize in the International UNESCO Competition for "Lontano"
1969-70
"Chamber Concerto" for 13 instrumentalists
1971
"Melodien" for orchestra
1971
Member of the Freie Akademie der Künste, Hamburg
1972
"Double Concerto" for flute, oboe and orchestra
1972
Composer in residence at Stanford University, California
1972
Berliner Kunstpreis (awarded by the Akademie der Künste, Berlin)
1972-73
"Clocks and Clouds" for 12-part female choir and orchestra
1973-89
Professor at the Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst Hamburg
since 1973
Residence in Hamburg and Vienna
1973
Composition course at the Berkshire Music Center in Tanglewood (Massachusetts)
1973-74
"San Francisco Polyphony" for orchestra
1974
Composition Course at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena
1974-77
"Le Grand Macabre", opera in 2 acts (4 scenes)
1975
Member of the Orden Pour le mérite for Sciences and Arts, Bonn; Bach Prize awarded by the City of Hamburg
1976
"Monument, Selbstportrait, Bewegung", 3 pieces for 2 pianos
1978
"Hungarian Rock" for harpsichord; "Passacaglia ungherese" for harpsichord

1978
12 April: World première of "Le Grand Macabre" in Stockholm; 15 October: First German performance of "Le Grand Macabre" in Hamburg
1978
Member of the Bayerische Akademie der Schönen Künste, Munich
1979
First Italian performance of "Le Grand Macabre" in Bologna; Composition course in Aix-en-Provence
1981
First French performance of "Le Grand Macabre" in Paris
1982
"Trio" for violin, horn and piano; "Drei Phantasien" for 16-part mixed choir a cappella; First English performance of "Le Grand Macabre" at the English National Opera in London
1983
"Magyar Etüdök" (Hungarian studies) for mixed choir a cappella
1984
Honorary member of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters; Prix Ravel, Paris; Béla Bartók-Ditta Pásztory Prize, Budapest; Honorary member of the International Society for New Music
1985
"Études pour piano" premier livre
1985
Prix Arthur Honegger – Chevillion Bonnaud, Paris
1985-88
"Concerto for Piano and Orchestra"
1986
Grawemeyer Award, Louisville (Kentucky)
1987
Honorary Distinction for Science and Arts (Ehrenzeichen für Wissenschaft und Kunst) of the Republic of Austria; Honorary Ring (Ehrenring) of the City of Vienna
1988
"Nonsense Madrigals" No. 1-4 for 6 male voices a cappella
1988
Honorary doctorate of the University of Hamburg; Commandeur in the Ordre National des Arts et Lettres, Paris; Composition Prize of the Fondation Prince Pierre de Monaco
1989
"Études pour piano" deuxième livre, No. 7 and 8; "Nonsense Madrigals" No. 5
1989
Honorary member of the Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst of Graz
1990
"Études pour piano" deuxième livre, No. 9; "Concerto for Violin and Orchestra" 1st version (three movements)
1990
Honorary member of the Freie Akademie der Künste of Hamburg; Honorary member of the Austrian Association of Composers; Goethe Medal of the Goethe Institute in Munich; The "Leonie Sonnings" Music Prize, Copenhagen; Honorary member of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Rome; Grand Austrian State Prize (Großer Österreichischer Staatspreis); Member of the Austrian Art Senate (Österreichischer Kunstsenat); Corresponding member of the Real Academia de Bellas Artes, Granada
1991
"Loop" for viola solo
1991
Honorary member of the Royal Philharmonic Society, London; Praemium Imperiale, Tokyo; Music Prize of the Balzan Foundation, Bern-Milan
1992
"Concerto for Violin and Orchestra" final version (five movements); "Facsar" for viola solo
1992
Honorary member of the Royal Academy of Music, London; Member of the Hungarian Academy of Letters and Arts (Széchenyi Iroldami és Művészeti Akadémia)
1993
"Études pour piano" deuxième livre, No. 12-14 A; "Nonsense Madrigals" No. 6
1993
Honorary Doctorate of the New England Conservatory, Boston; Ernst von Siemens Music Prize; Music Prize of the Kaske Foundation; Middle Cross of the Distinguished Service Medal of the Hungarian Republic  (A Magyar Köztársasági Érdemrend középkeresztje); Prize of the City of Vienna; Full Member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts (Academia Scientiarum et Artium Europaea)
1994
"Sonata for viola solo"; "Études pour piano" deuxième livre, No. 10 and 11
1994
Member of the Club of Budapest
1995
"Études pour piano" troisième livre, No. 15
1995
Foreign honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; The "Rolf Schock" Music Prize of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music, Stockholm
1996
"Pièce électronique No. 3" (1957/58, 1996); "Le Grand Macabre" new version
1996
Music Prize of the Wolf Foundation Jerusalem; UNESCO-IMC (International Music Council)-Music Prize; "Associé étranger" of the Académie Royale de Belgique
1997
World première of the new version of "Le Grand Macabre" in Salzburg; "Études pour piano" troisième livre, No. 16
1997
Honorary member of the Romanian Academy (Academia Româna)
1998
"Études pour piano" troisième livre, No. 17
1998
"Associé étranger" of the Académie des Beaux Arts, Paris
1998-99
"Hamburgisches Konzert" for horn and chamber orchestra
2000
"Síppal, doppal, nádihegedűvel" for mezzo soprano and four percussionists
2000
Sibelius Medal of the Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation, Helsinki; Commandeur de l´Ordre du Mérite Culturel de Monaco
2001
"Études pour piano" troisième livre, No. 18
2001
"The Royal Philharmonic Society Music Award for Achievement during 2000 for the Chamber-Scale Composition category" for "Síppal, doppal, nádihegedűvel"; Kyoto Prize of the Inamori Foundation
2003
Theodor W. Adorno Prize of the City of Frankfurt; Medal of Arts and Sciences of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg; Kossuth Prize of the Hungarian State; Honorary member of the Konzerthausgesellschaft Vienna; Grand Prix du Président de la République de l'Académie Charles Cros
2004
Polar Music Prize of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music, Stockholm; ECHO Klassik Lifetime Achievement Award
2005
Frankfurt Music Prize
2006
Dies in Vienna on 12 June and is buried at the Vienna Central Cemetery (honorary grave)

Products

Performances

Set Descending Direction
  • Ramifications
    Conductor: Johannes Marmén
    Orchestra: Musica Vitae
    April 5, 2024 | Växjö (Sweden) , Nygatan 6
  • Doppelkonzert
    Conductor: Gabriel Bebeselea
    Orchestra: Zagrebačka filharmonija
    April 5, 2024 | Zagreb (Croatia) , Koncertna dvorana Vatroslava Lisinskog
  • Concert Românesc
    Conductor: Gabriel Bebeselea
    Orchestra: Zagrebačka filharmonija
    April 5, 2024 | Zagreb (Croatia) , Koncertna dvorana Vatroslava Lisinskog
  • Ramifications
    Conductor: Anja Bihlmaier
    Orchestra: Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg
    April 7, 2024 | Hamburg (Germany) , Elbphilharmonie, Großer Saal
  • Concerto
    Conductor: Chloé Dufresne
    Orchestra: basel sinfonietta
    April 7, 2024 | Basel (Switzerland) , Stadtcasino
  • Ramifications
    Conductor: Anja Bihlmaier
    Orchestra: Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg
    April 8, 2024 | Hamburg (Germany) , Elbphilharmonie, Großer Saal
  • Ramifications
    Conductor: Francesco Bossaglia
    Orchestra: Ensemble 900
    April 9, 2024 | Lugano (Switzerland) , LAC, Sala Teatro
  • Musica ricercata
    April 11, 2024 | London (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) , Wigmore Hall
  • Kammerkonzert
    Conductor: Lorenza Borrani
    Orchestra: Orchestre de Paris
    April 11, 2024 | Paris (France) , Philharmonie
  • Lontano
    Conductor: Thomas Guggeis
    Orchestra: Frankfurter Opern- und Museumsorchester
    April 14, 2024 | Frankfurt/Main (Germany) , Alte Oper
  • Mysteries of the Macabre
    Conductor: Gabriel Feltz
    Orchestra: Dortmunder Philharmoniker
    April 15, 2024 | Dortmund (Germany) , Konzerthaus
  • Lontano
    Conductor: Thomas Guggeis
    Orchestra: Frankfurter Opern- und Museumsorchester
    April 15, 2024 | Frankfurt/Main (Germany) , Alte Oper
  • Mysteries of the Macabre
    Conductor: Gabriel Feltz
    Orchestra: Dortmunder Philharmoniker
    April 16, 2024 | Dortmund (Germany) , Konzerthaus
  • Concert Românesc
    Conductor: Ariel Zuckermann
    Orchestra: Georgisches Kammerorchester Ingolstadt
    April 17, 2024 | Ingolstadt (Germany) , Stadttheater
  • Mysteries of the Macabre
    Conductor: Gabriel Feltz
    Orchestra: Dortmunder Philharmoniker
    April 17, 2024 | Dortmund (Germany) , Konzerthaus
  • Concert Românesc
    Conductor: Ariel Zuckermann
    Orchestra: Georgisches Kammerorchester Ingolstadt
    April 17, 2024 | Ingolstadt (Germany) , Stadttheater
  • Concert Românesc
    Conductor: Markus Cella
    Orchestra: Wachtberger Kammerorchester
    April 20, 2024 | Berkum (Germany) , N.N.
    Aufführung des 1. und 2. Satzes.
  • Concert Românesc
    Conductor: Ariel Zuckermann
    Orchestra: Hong Kong Sinfonietta
    April 27, 2024 | Hong Kong (China) , HK City Hall, Concert Hall
  • Set Descending Direction