Dedication: Judit Hevesi and József Szalay
Premiere location: Budapest
Premiere date: 1963.03.22.
Premiere performers: Judit Hevesi (violin); József Szalay (cimbalom)
Composition end date: 1961.01
Genre: Chamber Music
Instrumentation: violin, cimbalom
Duration (minutes): 5
Year of publication: 1965
Publisher: Editio Musica Budapest
Publication number: Z. 4492 – ISMN: M-080-04432-6
1 Poco sostenuto
2 Agitato, non allegro [originally Agitato]
3 Risoluto
4 Lento
5 Allegretto
6 Vivo
7 Adagio
8 Vivo
It is an instrumental work with no text.
Among the early miniatures of Kurtág Eight Duos Op. 4, show a new departure in instrumentation: the combination of violin and cimbalom, two instruments that were to play an important role in Kurtág’s later works, but it was in these duos that he purported to have captured the “essence” or the cimbalom. He did not write for it in the traditional Hungarian manner but in a way reminiscent of Webern’s short studies. In these duos one becomes increasingly aware of the characteristic “soundscape” of Kurtág: his use of trills, muted tremolos, percussive sounds, ostinato techniques – all indicate that a new musical language is being developed.
(EMB)
No sheet music files available for this piece.
Reviews of the world premiere
Imre Fábián’s review
(Film Színház Muzsika, March 29, 1963)
The final concert of the “Chamber Music of Our Time” series at the Philharmonic Chamber Hall guided us through the music of our century up to today’s experimental trends, including electronic music. The highlight of the concert was a Hungarian premiere: the first performance of György Kurtág’s Eight Duos, written for violin and cimbalom. In Kurtág’s work, we encounter entirely new sonic possibilities for the cimbalom, serving a new kind of compositional message. This unusual instrumental pairing does not result from the whim of a pretentious experiment but comes together in a perfectly convincing unity to convey valuable musical ideas.
The premiere of each of Kurtág’s works has been an event in recent years. This master, endowed with extraordinary creative talent, has truly made the boldest and most valuable compositional techniques of our time his own, using them to express his unique and original message. His duets were also successful this evening, thanks to their intensity, evocativeness, and above all, their sincere musical message. The audience’s response was a clear statement of support for this recognized and valuable new work. While one may debate the musical direction represented by Kurtág, there is little dispute that he is one of the most profound and significant creative personalities. Judit Hevesi (violin) and József Szalay (cimbalom) were masterful interpreters of the work. […]
(“Zenei estek: Korunk kamarazenéje,” Film Színház Muzsika 7 (1963)/13, 14.)
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András Pernye’s review
(Magyar Nemzet, March 30, 1963)
At the most recent evening of the “Chamber Music of Our Time” series, the audience enjoyed a focused selection of representative works from new musical trends, covering nearly the entire spectrum of music from this century. This review must begin with György Kurtág’s Eight Duos for Violin and Cimbalom, as this cycle was clearly the most interesting and noteworthy premiere of the evening.
It is no coincidence that György Kurtág’s name and art have come to the forefront of interest in recent years. Each new Kurtág work has provided fresh testimony to the composer’s exceptional talent and, above all, his sincerity. As is often the case, much of the enthusiasm surrounding him has arisen from a thirst for sensation, as well as from the snobbery of those who uncritically idolize all art that is modern or perceived as such. These waves of sensation have obscured the truly essential features of Kurtág’s art even for a significant portion of experts – those achievements that lie behind the musical technique, presented modestly and without ostentatious gestures.
What captivates even those who otherwise disagree with his compositional method in this newly premiered work is, above all, the aforementioned sincerity of Kurtág’s art. Kurtág does not write this music because it is fashionable today, but because he is incapable of doing anything else. His music always stems from direct experience; he composes only when he has something to convey. His inner world is torn and fragmented by suffering and passion, and for now he evidently feels he must bear all this alone. Yet at the same time, every beat pulsates with the pain of this loneliness and the longing to find companions. Those extraordinary sounds, whose ceaseless mention constantly distracts from the meaning of his music, are “interesting” only insofar as they convey this romantic artist’s attitude, carried to its ad absurdum. At numerous moments in the new work, Kurtág’s artistic refinement and potential for simplification shone through.
The work’s great success is due in large part to the technically perfect and almost demonically captivating performances by Judit Hevesi and József Szalay.
(“Egy hét Budapest hangversenytermeiben,” Magyar Nemzet 19 (1963)/75, 7.)
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János Breuer’s review
(Muzsika, June 1963)
The “devil” has been playing tricks on the deservedly popular modern chamber music series for the second consecutive year. There were six concerts last season, five this season, and not a single one has passed without a change in the program. On the most recent occasion, we were deprived of Sándor Veress’s String Trio and György Kurtág’s viola cycle titled Signs. The omitted works would be enough for a sixth concert; it is indeed necessary to make up for them, since anyone who heard the audience’s disappointed murmurs at the announcement of each program change could see that interest remains as high as ever.
Two Hungarian premieres took place during the final performance of the modern cycle. György Kurtág’s Eight Duos, written for violin and cimbalom, was performed excellently by Judit Hevesi and József Szalay. Judit Hevesi has improved tremendously in recent times; her playing has become more relaxed, and her tone fuller and rounder. Her performance of the Kurtág piece was a great achievement, especially considering that she played this exceedingly complex work from memory. József Szalay, one of Aladár Rácz’s finest students, has previously been entrusted with and has successfully tackled other tasks; it is all the more gratifying that, following Couperin and Bach, he also held his own in this 1963 composition.
The work – like Kurtág’s earlier pieces – displays extraordinary compositional virtues. Perhaps the most important is that Kurtág expresses his feelings and thoughts in the most concise, concentrated forms. Each tiny movement is a complete, lively, organic world, rich in diverse and varied emotional content. Humor, irony, tragedy, and– at last – joy also resound in these short pieces, which undoubtedly deserve great attention in Kurtág’s recent oeuvre. The audience agreed, demanding an encore of the entire cycle. [...]
(“Modern Chamber Music,” Muzsika 6 (1963)/6, 38.)
No sheet music files available for this piece.
