'Kurtág's Ghosts' could be a good title for a horror movie. And also Kurtág's music sometimes has some horror-like strands. Take the orchestral work 'Grabstein für Stephan, for example, where in the middle of the piece suddenly a pair of air horns roughly disturb the peace. In Kurtágs Ghosts, it is not so much gross musical violence that predominates, but rather his disturbing relationship with
… the musical past. Not only do the great spirits of music history haunt Kurtág's compositions, they are also expressed in the titles: the many homages and in memoria for living and diverse friends and idols. Typical of Kurtág is his much-quoted statement: My mother tongue is Bartók and his mother tongue was Beethoven, underlining his close relationship with both European and Hungarian musical tradition. All these elements can be found in Kurtág Ghosts, in which Kurtág's compositional splinters and fragments also feature his musical heroes. This programming creates a surprising musical dialogue, sometimes blurring the distinction where music history ends and Kurtág begins. No less subtle is Marino Formenti's phenomenal piano playing. His thorough explanations, in dialogue with label owner Peter Oswald, are also clear and convincing. (JWvR) No less subtle is Marino Formenti's phenomenal piano playing. His thorough explanations, in dialogue with label owner Peter Oswald, are also clear and convincing. (JWvR) No less subtle is Marino Formenti's phenomenal piano playing. His thorough explanations, in dialogue with label owner Peter Oswald, are also clear and convincing. (JWvR)more
