Work of the Week – Peter Eötvös: LIGETIDYLL

It’s Ligeti’s Birthday! To mark the centenary of this iconic composer, Peter Eötvös (*1944) will conduct the world premiere of his new work entitled LIGETIDYLL with the Concerto Budapest Symphony Orchestra on 28 May 2023. 

Although both composers are Hungarian, they didn’t initially meet until 1965 when Eötvös attended György Ligeti’s (photo) seminars at the famous Ferienkurse für Neue Musik in Darmstadt, Germany. This sparked a life-long friendship which united the composers until Ligeti’s death in 2006.

Hommage to Ligeti: LIGETIDYLL by Peter Eötvös

Eötvös composed LIGETIDYLL as both a memory of their time together and as a farewell to his friend. This twelve minute work begins with a reference to Ligeti's Poème Symphonique (1962) for 100 metronomes as the initial tempo of 100 slowly develops into numerous rhythmic and sound combinations. As the piece concludes, each of the sixteen musicians "says goodbye" to Ligeti (and the audience) with a small cadenza.

My friendship with György Ligeti has a decades-long history. This piece, composed in a personal tone for Ligeti’s 100th birthday, portrays our shared memories in a naive and emotional manner, following its genre, the ‘idyll’. (Peter Eötvös)

Most recently, Eötvös conducted a Ligeti programme with the Ensemble Wien Modern in Heidelberg and Budapest. As Eötvös is well-established within the performances of Ligeti’s works, he is particularly excited to both compose and direct the world premiere of LIGETIDYLL on 28 May.

Links:

Peter Eötvös: Composer Profile

LIGETIDYLL: Work Details and Online Score

Website Concerto Budapest Orchestra

Foto: Alexander Schlee, Illustration: sic! / photocase