Kim Kashkashian's 2012 release on ECM New Series is an exploration of works for solo viola by György Kurtág and György Ligeti, two modernist composers whose experimental music is surprisingly accessible to informed listeners. Between the two of them, Kurtág created the most aphoristic and enigmatic music in Signs, Games and Messages, and the 19 pieces are quite short (some lasting under a minute), wispy, and elusive. In contrast, Ligeti's six-movement Sonata is bold, substantial, and assertive, with movements that are ...
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Kim Kashkashian's 2012 release on ECM New Series is an exploration of works for solo viola by György Kurtág and György Ligeti, two modernist composers whose experimental music is surprisingly accessible to informed listeners. Between the two of them, Kurtág created the most aphoristic and enigmatic music in Signs, Games and Messages, and the 19 pieces are quite short (some lasting under a minute), wispy, and elusive. In contrast, Ligeti's six-movement Sonata is bold, substantial, and assertive, with movements that are longer and more developed than Kurtág's fleeting impressions, and a melodic language that is heavily inflected with microtones. Despite the apparent differences in personality and expression, both Kurtág and Ligeti reveal a shared heritage, for these pieces are reminiscent of Béla Bartók, especially in the use of extended string techniques, allusions to folk melodies, and adoption of exotic scales and modes. To the extent that the music sets a particular mood, this album is mostly...
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