Centenary concert for György Kurtág

Pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard and musicians from the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France performed a concert at the Auditorium of the Maison de la Radio et de la Musique to mark the centenary of composer György Kurtág. The event highlighted the connections between Kurtág's work and that of earlier composers like Robert Schumann.

Thematic parallels between composers

The program featured works by Kurtág and Schumann, emphasizing thematic and stylistic parallels between the two. Although Schumann was born more than a century before Kurtág, their works share elements like minimalism and intertextuality, including references to literature, other composers, self-quotation, and direct homage.

Performance of Schumann's String Quartets

The concert included Schumann's String Quartets op. 41, composed in 1842 and dedicated to Felix Mendelssohn. A quartet of musicians from the Philharmonique—Amandine Ley, Aino Akiyama, Leonardo Jelveh, and Jérôme Pinget—performed the work, though some noted the interpretation lacked color and dramaturgy in the first three movements.

Kurtág's brief and intricate Bagatelles

Kurtág's Bagatelles for flute, double bass and piano, composed in 1982, were also performed. These six short pieces feature multiple citations, references, and self-quotation. Pierre-Laurent Aimard played the piano alongside Amandine Ley on flute and Boris Trouchaud on double bass, delivering a refined performance with the keyboard primarily used in a harmonic capacity.

Dreamlike atmosphere in Märchenerzählungen

The concert also included Kurtág's Märchenerzählungen for clarinet, alto and piano, a dark and dreamlike work that evokes imagery of dark forests rather than a traditional fairy world. Jérôme Voisin performed the clarinet, with the alto struggling to be heard between the piano and clarinet despite showing a beautiful sound and musicality.

Sublime conclusion with Hommage à R. Sch.

The concert concluded with Kurtág's Hommage à R. Sch., with a bass drum placed on stage without a percussionist present. The clarinetist was eventually assigned to strike the drum, delivering a muffled blow that marked the final movement's twilight and sublime farewell.