Congratulations To Grawemeyer Prize Winner Gyorgy Kurtag!

"A concerto by Hungarian composer Gyorgy Kurtag described as ranging through "many changes of mood, tempo and texture" has earned the 2006 University of Louisville Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition.

The work, "Concertante Op. 42" for violin, viola and orchestra, was commissioned by the Leonie Sonning Foundation of Copenhagen. Since its premiere in September 2003 by the Danish Radio Orchestra led by conductor Michael Schonwandt, it has been performed in Europe, Japan and the United States.

The 26-minute piece, one large movement divided into several sections plus a two-part coda, uses an unusually large orchestra for a concerto and includes solos written for and performed by violinist Hiromi Kikuchi and violist Ken Hakii.

"The orchestra is used to full advantage but without overshadowing the role of the soloists," said award chair Marc Satterwhite. "After ranging through many changes of mood, tempo and texture, from intimate to violent, the final section is mysterious and ambiguous.""

Source: Investors Business Daily (Investors.com) via Sequenza21.com November 28, 2005.














Gyorgy Kurtag, composer and humanist

Photo credit: City of Linz, Austria. www.linz.at/kultur