Gyorgi Ligeti's music has been heard by millions of people, yet few people know Ligeti's name. Most people have indeed probably only heard his music used in the context of two films by Stanley Kubrick. These being 2001: A Space Odyssey and the Shining. 2001 featured Ligeti's Adventures (which was altered without the permission of the compoer for the film, Ligeti would later attempt to sue Kubrick for doing this), Requiem, Atmospheres and Lux Aeterna. The Shining used Lontano.

Gyorgy Ligteti developed a highly unique approach to composing music for the human voice. Often employing micropolyphony in his music, where minute changes in pitch great new regions of tonal exploration. He applied this principal not only for the music he composed for voice but also the music he composed for a more orchestral setting.

Teldac has done a beautiful job presenting some of Ligeti's most important works. Of particular importance and mere revelation is The Ligeti Project, Vol. 2, which showcases Ligeti's Orchestral works, including Atmospheres and Lontano. While the Teldac performances of Ligeti are all of fine quality, it doesn't capture the 'atmosphere' (to be ironic) or 'Atmospheres' as well as the abstract that appears on the 2001 A Space Odyssey soundtrack. The soundtrack to 2001 is a necessary purchase as it includes some of the best version of Ligeti's work, some of which is difficult to obtain from other sources. The soundtrack also includes an unaltered full-lenght version of Adventures conducted by Ligeti himself. The piece has a dada-istic quality to it, and indeed the version presented is one of the finest. The rest of the Teldarc series is highly recommended, although I have only heard a couple of them, II and III at this moment only. Clocks and Clouds (1973) for 12 female voices is a highlight of Project III, along with the Cello Concerto. Clocks and Clouds, often sounds influenced by minimalism. The conductor for both pieces was Reinbert de Leeuw, who I was lucky enough to see conduct Ligeti's Lontano in Sydney. Another very high quality album. Teldarc has done a wonderful job to carry on the legacy of Sony's 'Ligeti Edition', which was sadly shut down due to poor sales. Each album on the series is worth listening to and indeed buying.

Enough about Teldarc and the Teldarc Project, there are many other sources of Ligeti's marvellous music.

One of these sources a record label called 'Wergo'. A real treat on Wergo is the Arditti String Quartet's peformances of Ligeti's 2 String Quartets. Arditti claiming to be thoe only quartet to have both compositions under their belts. The string quartets are under-rated masterpieces. String Quartet Nr.1 was an early piece by Ligeti, composed from 1953 to 1954. It is hard to express the beauty and intense emotional impact of the first string quartet, as it is so powerful. Perhaps written as a response to Ligeti's departure from his homeland Hungary, due to the political climate of the earier at the time. The piece shows an influence of another Hungarian composer, Bela Bartok and further progresses Bartok's most atonal explorations. The end product is one of the most amazing string quartets ever written. String Quartet was written 15 years later, and is even more 'avant-garde' and experimental than his early quartet. The quartet begins with a pluck, and than the strings play in extremely high register, often imitating the sound of a bird. The second quartet largely departs from the Bartokeque approachablilty of the first, and the influence of Ligeti's polyphonic composition of the 60s is evident. It is a much more challanging piece but still rewarding.

Anyhow, I remember starting the Piano paragraph by saying that I have yet to mention his piano music. Ligeti's piano music paricularly appeals to me, and in my opinion his best work. Of course my view is somewhat biased, due to my overwhelming passion for the piano. The Etudes of Ligeti are some of the most amazing compositions for the piano ever written, as a testement to their beauty, this reviewer (yours truly, me!) has 4 different versions of them (almost every one, at least everyone I can find). I have version by 'Wergo', 'Sony', 'Naxos' and 'L'Empreinte Digitale'. Wergo only features the first book, while the Naxos features 2 books, while Sony and L'Empreinete Digitale features all of the first two books, and some of book 3, Sony lacking a few of the newer pieces in book 3, while L'Empreinete features all of book 3 currently composed (Ligeti is still writing them, after begining them in 1985, one year after I was born!). The Naxos is by far the weakest, Idil Biret left me disappointed, and as I'd heard Pierre Laurent's version prior (he recorded with Sony), Biret's performance lacked a certain quality. Naxos is however the cheapest by far, and I bought it just for the cheap price! Not to say there are no good performances, and it really isn't THAT bad. Biret's version of Cordes à vide works reasonably well, and her versions of most pieces are notable longer than any other pianist's versions. Cordes a Vide is dragged out to 4.36, while Aimard's lasts far 3.16, while Volker Banfield whizzes through it in 2.52 for Wergo. Weaknesses for Biret lie in the faster compositions, where she approaches them without the speed and precision of the other pianists, Der Zuaberlehrling, Touches Boquees are in my opinion very weak. Volker Banfield's performance is much better. 'Wergo' is a much more consistent label than Naxos, and Volker plays Ligeti with a high level of skill. The album features only the first book of Etudes (the first 6) and is coupled with 5 pieces from the magestically beautiful Vingt Regards L'Enfant-Jesus by Olivier Messiaen. The recording of the first 6 Etudes is on par with both the Sony and the L'Empreinete Digitale recordings. It is an added bonus for a neophyte to 20th Century to hear pieces from two of the most amazing piano compositions of the 20th Century. This is a wonderful introduction to Ligeti. Toros Can has recorded the most complete version of Ligeti's Etudes on a small french record label called L'Empreinete Digitale. I would be interested to know if you could get a hold of this, since I only have a 'digital' version of this recording, unlike the others which I own. Toros performs Ligeti in an energetic and virtuosic fashion, and his performance is only challanged by Pierre-Laurent Aimard (another French man!). Toros Can shows great speed, and performed one of the fastest versions of the opening Etude 'Désordre', going through it at a masterly 2.27, only Aimard the speed wizard he is, could go faster, Aimard manages to go 5 seconds faster by performing it in 2.22. However performing with speed doesn't mean that you are playing a better version. This album is valuable as you can hear 2 Etudes not included on any of the other recordings I have discussed. These are the reflective 'Pour Irina' and the cascading 'A bout de souffle'. This is perhaps the best version of the Etudes available. I wish I could get hold of a real copy. On to the final version. The album I cherish in my collection. Performed by one of my all time favourite classiacal pianists, Pierre-Laurent Aimard. This was recorded on the 'Gyorgy Ligeti: Edition', this means Ligeti was present at the recording, and as Ligeti is one of the most strict perfectionists to have ever lived, it ensures all recordings that he supervises is of the utmost high quality. I went to a discussion by Reinbert de Leeuw when he came to Sydney, and in this discussion he talked about his experience working with Ligeti in his recording of the Ligeti Project. He noted that Ligeti wasn't affraid to tell any member of the Orchestra that they weren't good enough, in fact he often indentified weak links, complaining directly to them. He is as noted by Leeuw a very demanding and often difficult composer to work with, but that is what makes Ligeti's music so powerful, and accurate. Aimard is a wonderful pianist, he has recorded much of my favourite piano music. From Debussy to Ligeti to Messiaen. I highly recommend picking up his 'At Carnegie Hall', which features a few of Ligeti's Etudes, as well as a piece from Messiaen's Vingt Regard..., as well as Alban Berg's first piano Sonata, Beethoven, Liszt, Debussy all played in the same Concert! Remarkable! Anyhow Aimard plays with such speed and grace it is difficult for anyone to match him, the recording also features Ligeti's brillaint conceptual composition for piano Musica Ricercata, the concept is simple but the application is complicated. Music Ricerata consists of 11 pieces, the first two pieces consist of only 2 tones (and there optive counterparts), the 3rd contains only 3 tones, the 4th only 4 etc etc. An amazing experiment for piano that you can actually listen to and understand without any musical training. Aimard version of this clearly beats Begona Uriarte's version for Wergo.

Thanks for the fascinating post...unfortunately I'm counted amoung those who know his work solely from the films, but having read this I may have to look into his other works also...

please do look into his other works.

Especially his etudes for piano