Search - Ligeti, Boulez :: Ligeti: Chamber Concerto; Ramifications; String Quartet No. 2; Aventures; Lux aeterna [Germany]

Two great performances and a fine introduction to Ligeti

L. Johan Modée | Earth | 08/09/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This disc is a very fine introduction to György Ligeti's early works. I shall only review two of the performances, however: Aventures and Lux Aeterna.



Aventures, for 3 voices & 7 instruments. This is an extremely witty, radical, and disturbing piece of music in an outstanding and inspired performance. Many people would probably say that this is not music. But the impact of this work is irresistible: three singers making various noises, representing different emotional conditions, and seven musicians torturing their instruments. But everything in this violent performance is under complete control and a case of exemplary musical discipline. Stunning! (All the Ligeti Aventures are available in a separate DG set.)



Lux Aeterna, for 16-voice mixed chorus. The opposite of the previous work. Here we have an almost immobile, hovering, and sublime piece of choral music, terrifying and beautiful at the same time. Used as film music in Kubrick's "2001". Excellent performance, fine recording.



In sum, a warmly recommended disc.

"

A fine single-disc introduction to a late 20th century great

R. Hutchinson | a world ruled by fossil fuels and fossil minds | 05/12/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This Ligeti entry in the Deutsch Grammophon (DG) 20th Century Classics series was one of the first Ligeti CDs. It remains a fine single-disc introduction to Ligeti, one of the greatest of late 20th century composers.



Included are "Lux Aeterna," the eerie choral work from 1962, made famous for its inclusion in Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey," and the String Quartet No. 2 from 1968, performed by the LaSalle Quartet. I think the Arditti Quartet surpassed the LaSalles with their Sony recording found in the "Ligeti Edition, Vol. 1," but this version is superb in its own right. The other three pieces are performed by the Ensemble InterContemporain, led by Pierre Boulez -- "Ramifications," (1968-1969) "Chamber Concerto" (1970-1971) and the very strange vocal "Aventures" (1962-1965).



These works are all from Ligeti's 1960s prime when he was exploring micropolyphony. If you never heard anything else, you would have a good basic sense of what Ligeti's contribution was to the late 20th century avant-garde. Everything on this disc, though, is now available on CLEAR OR CLOUDY (see my review), a 4-disc box of DG Ligeti recordings released in late 2006 as a tribute after the composer's death that June. I consider Ligeti to be one of the three best late 20th composers, along with Elliott Carter and Iannis Xenakis, and I consider the larger set to be well worth hearing.



See my GYORGY LIGETI: A LISTENER'S GUIDE for more, along with my THE THREE BEST, THE 12 BEST, and 30 OF THE BEST LATE 20th/21st CENTURY COMPOSERS."

Most Inspired Performances!!

Scriabinmahler | UK | 11/15/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is highly recommendable collection of Ligeti's most powerful and highly evocative works, each one of them played with inspiration and deeper affinity with ligeti's unique soundscape, thanks to Boulez' insight, Hamburg Radio Chorus and LaSalle Qt. Inclues one of the finest performances of the famous choral work Lux aeterna."