Recollections of the teaching of György Kurtág

How did you come into contact with György Kurtág? When did you work together, when did he teach you? 

For the last 20 years my work has been based on the research and performance of the contemporary repertoire and newly created works for all types of saxophones.

The impact that the music of György Kurtág had on me led me to research, transcribe, and perform his music, which seems to me to possess a very complex purity. The study of his music led me to investigate his repertoire and to discover that in his repertoire there is no work for my instrument. After listening to In Nomine All’Ongherese I decided to transcribe his work, thinking of playing it on a baritone saxophone because of the depth of its low and middle register and its colour and texture, which fitted perfectly with the work.

I met his son György Kurtág Jr. at a meeting of composers and music creation in Bordeaux and I asked him if it would be possible for his father to listen to a recording I made of his work In Nomine All’Ongherese (transcribed for baritone saxophone solo).

And that has been the beginning of a beautiful story with the Maestro.

When he heard my version of In Nomine All’Ongherese, György and his wife Márta contacted me directly by telephone – I couldn’t believe it! Both of them congratulated me. I will never forget his sentence about my interpretation: ‘That’s my music.’

Later he invited me to Budapest to perform it at the Palace of Arts in a tribute organised for his 90th birthday. Playing for him live was one of the best personal experiences I have ever had. It was incredible, and I had the opportunity to share the stage with his son and the pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard.

In August 2019 I went back to Budapest and worked with him again for several days, in this case, on a new transcription of his Signs, Games and Messages in version for alto and soprano saxophones.

Thanks to this new meeting and experience, I also had the no less exciting opportunity: Kurtág himself proposed that I perform his masterful work Kafka for soprano, violin, and alto saxophone, together with Cecilia Bertovich and Maria Bazal. The project was recently premiered at the Ensems Festival in Valencia, with videos created by his granddaughter Judit Kurtág, and was programmed just one day before his opera Fin de partie, which was performed with the Orquesta de les Arts.

What does György Kurtág’s art and teaching mean to you and how have they influenced your career and your way of thinking?

It has been without a doubt the most exciting experience I ever imagined. His human and musical sensitivity is extreme; clearly, as his music reflects, he is a paranormal, spiritual being. I felt his aura – it was something magical.

After meeting him, my musical and personal life really changed – there is a before and after in my life. I think he transformed my way of feeling. He was struck by the naturalness and organicity of my interpretation; I think it is a particular trait of mine. He also expressed to me what he felt when he heard my interpretation of In Nomine All’Ongherese: ‘Every phrase, every gesture is pure naturalness and expression’.

In reality, perhaps it was not so complicated to approach the organicity of his music: I simply let myself go. Every day I think of him when I begin my study, and in every concert, he has taught me to feel my own interpretation and go deeper, to immerse myself in each element, to feel each note, each motoric cell, each phrase. I try to transform them so that they have a life of their own. His advice has taught me the importance of musical syntax and of interpreting with more energy, always keeping in mind the deepest part of the music.

If you can, recall a memorable situation (or more) and how he taught certain musical works and what you learned from him during your collaboration!

Feeling his light was my best experience, it was something supernatural; he is an extrasensory being with an unexplainable sensitivity. But the most striking thing is his energy and how he feels music, an intrinsic element of his personality. It was a magical experience. My husband, my children and I are still waiting to visit him in Budapest, he told me he would love to meet my family. I met his family and it was a real pleasure.