Composer

:

György Kurtág

Genre

:

Chamber

Style

:

Chamber Music

Average_duration

:

1:48

György Kurtág's "Pilinszky János: Gérard de Nerval" is a song cycle composed in 1989 for baritone and chamber ensemble. The work is based on the poetry of Hungarian poet Pilinszky János, who was deeply influenced by the French poet Gérard de Nerval. The premiere of the work took place on October 22, 1990, in Budapest, Hungary, with baritone László Polgár and the Ensemble InterContemporain conducted by Pierre Boulez. The cycle consists of six movements, each of which sets a different poem by Pilinszky János. The first movement, "The Old Man and the Child," is a haunting and atmospheric setting of a poem about the relationship between an old man and a child. The second movement, "The Night," is a dark and brooding setting of a poem about the mysteries of the night. The third movement, "The Mask," is a playful and ironic setting of a poem about the masks we wear in society. The fourth movement, "The Mirror," is a haunting and introspective setting of a poem about the self and the reflection we see in the mirror. The fifth movement, "The Rope," is a tense and dramatic setting of a poem about the struggle between life and death. The final movement, "The End," is a somber and reflective setting of a poem about the end of life and the inevitability of death. Kurtág's music is characterized by its economy of means and its intense emotional expressiveness. The music is often sparse and fragmented, with the baritone's voice and the chamber ensemble weaving in and out of each other in a delicate dance. The music is also highly expressive, with Kurtág using a wide range of vocal and instrumental techniques to convey the emotional content of the poetry. Overall, "Pilinszky János: Gérard de Nerval" is a powerful and deeply moving work that showcases Kurtág's unique musical voice and his ability to capture the essence of poetry in music.

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