Signs, Games And Messages

Gyorgy Kurtag

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Cat No: 4618332

Release Date: 19 December 2008

Label: ECM New Series

Packaging Type: Jewel Case

No of Units: 1

Barcode: 028946183328

Genres: Classical

Description
The first new album by KurtÃ¡g in six years is a major event. KurtÃ¡g was always a master of the miniature - no tone or texture, no grain of sound is wasted - but now his work is more concentrated than ever. The work on "Signs, Games and Messages" represents a pinnacle of KurtÃ¡g's art of achieving the ultimate in expression by the most minimal of means. The album is comprised of settings of HÃ¶lderlin (and Paul Celan) in the "HÃ¶lderlin-GesÃ¤nge", sung by Kurt Widmer, and of Beckett (and SÃ©bastien Chamfort) in " ... pas Ã pas â€“ nulle part ...", sung by Widmer with string trio and percussion. The two song cycles are linked by the work-in-progress that gives the album its title: "Signs, Games and Messages" for strings. The three cycles recorded here â€“ and to which the distinguished interpreters gave years of intense collaboration â€“ comprise between them a total of 59 tracks, only one of which goes beyond three minutes in duration. More than any composer before him, KurtÃ¡g has mastered the art of the expressive musical aphorism â€“ or, as he self-deprecatingly puts it, "making music out of almost nothing." But as England's The Guardian said, "A whole world of expression and suggestion can be packed into these exquisite, crystalline forms." FEATURED ARTISTS Kurt Widmer: Baritone Orlando Trio Hiromi Kikuchi: Violin Ken Hakii: Viola Stefan Metz: Cello Mircea Ardeleanu: Percussion Heinrich Huber: Trombone David LeClair: Tuba
Tracklisting