It is fortunate that György Kurtág has been so long-lived, since it wasn’t until his 60s, an age when most people contemplate retirement, that his international reputation really began to take off. But Kurtág was in it for the long haul. The aphoristic Hungarian master, still with us, was born on this date 100 years ago.

Kurtág forged a lifelong friendship with György Ligeti, while studying at Budapest’s Franz Liszt Academy, where he also met the woman who would become his wife. Márta, a pianist, died in 2019 at the age of 92.

Following the Hungarian uprising of 1956, Kurtág spent an extended period in Paris, where he studied with Olivier Messiaen, Darius Milhaud, and Schoenberg pupil Max Deutsch. It was also during this time that he was introduced to the music of Anton Webern and the plays of Samuel Beckett. When Ligeti directed him to a performance of Beckett’s “Endgame,” Kurtág described it as one of the strongest experiences of his life.

He returned to Budapest, where eventually he wound up teaching at his alma mater for 26 years. Gradually, he built a reputation as one of the most respected composers of his time. A meticulous artist, Kurtág’s works are like finely honed miniatures. But these are not pieces for display in the curio cabinet. Rather they are exquisitely crafted microcosms, notable for their poetry and flashes of expressive intensity.

It was surprising that a composer renowned for his work in smaller forms should turn to opera, especially at such a venerable age. Even so, “Fin de partie,” after “Endgame,” was enthusiastically received following its debut at La Scala in 2018.

Sadly, the U.S. premiere, which was to have taken place with the New York Philharmonic in 2021, was cancelled because of Covid. To my knowledge, it has yet to be performed in this country. Hopefully it will be rescheduled soon.

For now, raise a glass of pálinka to György Kurtág on his 100th birthday!

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Zoltán Kocsis playing Kurtág in recital

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHN58vAf3Y8

Wind Quintet, Op. 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIFSR-1Af38

Six Short Pieces for Guitar

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZseIPZPFro

Interview with Kurtág

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2p_R2m67Ys

“Fin de partie” (click closed caption for English titles)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bel9Sjfe2MA&t

Kurtág plays Mozart

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5j9I4CauN0

Playing Bach with Márta

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8lTh58jhA8

Alas, some delectable videos have slipped away since the composer’s 95th birthday, including one of a performance of “Játékok” (“Games”), with Kurtág, Márta, and Kocsis, and another of “Seven Songs for Soprano and Cimbalom,” with Barbara Hannigan.