Domestic Music-Making in the Concert Hall: György Kurtág's 'Játékok' for Four Hands within the Socio-Cultural Context of Socialist Hungary

Type of Abstract (select): Paper presentation

Abstract (max. 250 words):
This presentation explores György Kurtág’s four-hand miniatures from Játékok (Games), Volumes IV and VIII. Critical reception to recent performances of the miniatures given by Kurtág and his wife, both of whom were well into their eighties, generally highlighted the concerts' perceived "cuteness." The reviews appreciated the couple’s vulnerability and comfort with each other on the stages of major concert halls across Western Europe and the United States, yet neglected to acknowledge the music itself. The couple’s first performance of the miniatures in Budapest in 1979, on the other hand, stunned their critics into silence. This presentation seeks to explore this difference in critical reaction: the Kurtágs’ performance of Játékok for four hands, within their original socio-cultural context,carried evocative overtones which are not evident to the present-day, non-native Hungarian speaking world. The presentation tracks the trajectory of Kurtág’s public image within the cultural scene of socialist Hungary, with a particular focus on the artistic activities of the New Music Studio, the Apartment Theatre, and the Music of Our Time Festival. The presentation offers a selection of case studies, reflecting on the literary and musical allusions of the miniatures, and their influence on the Kurtágs’ performance practice.


Brief Professional Bio (max. 100 words):
Hungarian pianist Alexa Stier is a faculty member at the New School for Music Study (USA), and founder of the ContemporArt Chamber Music Festival (Romania). She earned her Bachelor of Music degree from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (UK), and she holds a Master of Music degree from the Yale School of Music, where she is currently a doctoral candidate. Alexa is a prizewinner at the Messiaen, Orléans and Enescu International Piano Competitions. Her doctoral thesis, based on György Kurtág’s Játékok, received the Friedmann Prize, awarded for the most well-crafted thesis at the Yale School of Music.