György Kurtág

The Profile

Hungarian composer of the post‑war avant‑garde, renowned for concentrated, fragmentary forms and intensely expressive chamber and vocal works.

Known for an aphoristic, fragment-based style; celebrated works include Játékok and Kafka‑Fragmente. Revered for meticulous self‑revision and a compact oeuvre. His choral writing received a nudge from Luigi Nono, leading to Homage to Luigi Nono.

One review focuses on Complete Choral Works, highlighting three choral pieces: Homage to Luigi Nono, Eight Choruses on Poems by Dezsö Tandori, and Songs of Despair and Sorrow. The critic underlines Kurtág’s fragmentary writing, vocal focus, and refined sonorities that avoid harsh dissonance. Luigi Nono’s encouragement to write for choir is noted. The reviewer praises the rigor of Kurtág’s revisions over many years and his modest, compact catalogue.