György Kurtág

»Master of Miniatures« – three concerts are dedicated to the fascinating music of the 97-year-old. Special highlight: a semi-staged performance of his opera »Fin de partie« based on Samuel Beckett’s play by the same name

György Kurtág with the score of »Fin de Partie«
György Kurtág with the score of »Fin de Partie« © Arkos Stiller

György Kurtág has a reputation as a master of the miniature. He wants to »express something as intensely as possible in as few notes as possible«. That’s why his works often only last a few minutes – or even a few seconds, ignoring the echo of the final sound. To this day, the concentrated music of the Hungarian composer, who was born in a small town in Rumania in 1926, exercises a profound influence on the younger generation. The surprise was all the greater, then, when La Scala, Milan, announced in 2018 that Kurtág had written his first opera! This season, a semi-staged version of »Fin de partie« – a musical setting of Samuel Beckett’s play »Endgame« – as well as orchestral works and selected chamber music provide an opportunity to get to know the rich musical worlds of this composer, who is now 97 years old.

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