Gyorgy Ligeti was born today in 1923 in Romania.
Ligeti's music is best known in the general public for his music in several Stanley Kubrick films, including "2001: A Space Odyssey". Concerning one of the movements from his Requiem, for Soprano and Mezzo Soprano solo, mixed Chorus and Orchestra (1963-65), the wikipedia article written on Ligeti says: "It is a massive (twenty-part choral) quasi-fugue where the counterpoint is re-thought in terms of the material, consisting of melismatic masses interpenetrating and alternating with complex skipping parts. It was a part of this movement that accompanied the enigmantic monolith scenes in Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey." Remember that eerie music? I sure do, and I haven't seen the movie for probably a decade.
Ligeti wrote 3 books of piano etudes later in his life, some of which I've heard in concert and I think are kind of interesting. I found this rather frightening (but rather gimmicky) performance of one of them on youtube:
Etude No. 13, "The Devil's Staircase". The pianist contrasts it with Bach's "Sheep May Safely Graze" for effect (hey, I have to link to some real music at least once on this blog entry!).
Finally, his Poeme Symphonique for 100 Metronomes, "written" in 1962. Here's the musical "score", just in case you'd like to read it while you listen. You gotta love the avant-garde!
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2 comments:
I thought the "Devil's Staircase" was pretty cool, but the "Requiem" is positively un-listenable. Thanks! :)
Yeah, I agree! But the Requiem is way more bearable (and interesting) when you're watching the movie.
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