The piano etudes of György Ligeti are much admired by pianists specializing in contemporary music, and they have been called the greatest piano works of the second half of the 20th century. Yet recordings of the whole set of 18 have not been common, and, although there is no tonal sequence to match the etudes of Chopin and Shostakovich, they work better as a group, exploring related questions. The etudes take after not so much those of Chopin as the music of Debussy, mixing virtuosity, profound technical questions, styles ...
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The piano etudes of György Ligeti are much admired by pianists specializing in contemporary music, and they have been called the greatest piano works of the second half of the 20th century. Yet recordings of the whole set of 18 have not been common, and, although there is no tonal sequence to match the etudes of Chopin and Shostakovich, they work better as a group, exploring related questions. The etudes take after not so much those of Chopin as the music of Debussy, mixing virtuosity, profound technical questions, styles from Bartók to Reich, and programmatic evocations that are as picturesque as one could wish into an indissoluble whole. Anyone with an interest in Ligeti will welcome this new release by pianist Danny Driver, which does justice to the individual narratives of the etudes and often gives them a certain and absolutely justified tinge of humor. Listen to the seventh etude, "Galamb Borong," which is influenced, as Debussy was, by Indonesian gamelan music; the title sounds Indonesian but...
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![Ligeti: the 18 Etudes [Danny Driver] [Hyperion Records: Cda68286]](https://www2.alibris-static.com/cover/o74144m0i3c_t.jpg)
