Kurtag Hipartita

This unusual double-CD [BMC 129] was received for review following the composer's refusal to allow his 30 minute work for solo violin to be included in the Park Lane Group Young Artists Series (January 2010).*

It is, typically for Kurtag, a collection of mostly very small pieces, the majority of them slow, ...perpetuum mobile excepted. They make for an absorbing listen and here are augmented by György Kurtág jnr, who played a major part in the whole project as artistic director and mixing supervisor; he explains his creative role in lengthy thoughts noted down by Judit Scherter. Besides her exclusive rights to Hipartita, Hiromi Kikuchi is involved here in ...concertante Op 42 with large orchestra (employed sparingly, as one might expect) and György Kurtág jnr features too as player of the synthesiser, in a joint composition by Györgys father and son, with the Keller String Quartet in Zwiegesprach.

To complete the diverse package Gyorgy and Marta Kurtag duet on an upright piano with "supersordino" in a sequence of Bartok, Bach etc, followed by lengthy applause and three encores.

An essential purchase for Kurtág afficionados, with high production standards and all the supporting information one might expect, albeit printed with a peculiar font which is not to my taste.

Peter Grahame Woolf

Musical Pointers was present for the Wigmore Hall British premiere of Hipartita (Hiromi Kikuch) and to hear Mr & Mrs Kurtág duetting almost inaudibly on their strange "upright piano with mute pedal".

See also MusicOMH November 2006 [Editor]