György Kurtag

Composer

Born in Lugoj on 19 February 1926; György Kurtag is a Hungarian composer and pianist. From 1940 he received piano lessons in Romania with Magda Kardos and composition lessons with Max Eisikovits. In 1946 he went to Budapest and studied at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music, composition with Sandor Veress and Ferenc Farkas, piano with Pal Kadosa and chamber music with Leo Weiner. In 1957/58 he stayed in Paris, attended classes with Olivier Messiaen and Darius Milhaud and worked with the psychologist Marianne Stein, who prompted his return to the smallest forms; he afterwards designated the String Quartet of 1959 as his opus 1. From 1967 to 1986 he taught piano and chamber music at the Budapest Academy of Music. His output often consists of cycles of short pieces, among them the Jatekok, continued since 1973, the Messages of the late R. V. Troussova, Stele (1994) and …concertante… op. 42 (2003). Two albums connect him with Cybele: in 1995 Michael Denhoff recorded a piece of his on Campanula, and in 2024 ..für: Works for Campanula (+Harp) followed, with Michael Denhoff and Ute Blaumer.

Recordings on Cybele

Concert calendar

12. Oct 2026

19:30

Lines of Life (Oxford Song)(opens in a new tab)

Benjamin Appl (Baritone), James Baillieu (Piano), Ellen Mawhinney (Soprano), Daniel Silcock (Piano), György Kurtag (Komposition)
Holywell Music Room, Oxford(map, opens in a new tab)

Tickets(opens in a new tab)

16. Oct 2026

20:00

Ravel Concert, Piano Concerto for the Left Hand / Kurtag Centenary(opens in a new tab)

Pierre-Laurent Aimard (Piano), Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Matthias Pintscher (Direction), György Kurtag (Komposition)
Maison de la Radio et de la Musique, Auditorium, Paris(map, opens in a new tab)

18. Oct 2026

16:00

Schumann / Kurtag(opens in a new tab)

Pierre-Laurent Aimard (Piano), Musiker des Orchestre philharmonique de Radio France, György Kurtag (Komposition)
Maison de la Radio et de la Musique, Paris(map, opens in a new tab)

18. Oct 2026

19:30

Silence is Golden (Oxford Song)(opens in a new tab)

Sarah Maria Sun (Soprano), Julian Bliss (Clarinet), Jan Philip Schulze (Piano), Luca Zucchi (Baritone), Lilly Vadaneaux (Piano), György Kurtag (Komposition)
Holywell Music Room, Oxford(map, opens in a new tab)

Tickets(opens in a new tab)

31. Oct 2026

19:00

Kurtag’s Kafka Fragments(opens in a new tab)

Claire Booth (Soprano), Maria Wloszczowska (Violin), György Kurtag (Komposition)
The Glasshouse International Centre for Music, Sage Two, Gateshead(map, opens in a new tab)

06. Nov 2026

18:30

The World of György Kurtag(opens in a new tab)

Lucy Fitz Gibbon (Soprano), Will Langlie Miletich (Double bass), Ryan MacEvoy McCullough (Piano), Musiker der Seattle Symphony, Lembit Beecher, György Kurtag (Komposition)
Octave 9: Raisbeck Music Center, Benaroya Hall, Seattle(map, opens in a new tab)

06. Nov 2026

20:30

The World of György Kurtag(opens in a new tab)

Lucy Fitz Gibbon (Soprano), Will Langlie Miletich (Double bass), Ryan MacEvoy McCullough (Piano), Musiker der Seattle Symphony, Lembit Beecher, György Kurtag (Komposition)
Octave 9: Raisbeck Music Center, Benaroya Hall, Seattle(map, opens in a new tab)

18. Nov 2026

13:00

MF11 RAM – A 100th birthday portrait (A 100th birthday portrait of György Kurtag)(opens in a new tab)

Adrian Brendel (Cello), Joseph Havlat (Piano), Studierende der Royal Academy of Music, György Kurtag (Komposition)
The Guildhall, Bath(map, opens in a new tab)

Tickets(opens in a new tab)

19. Nov 2026

20:15

Lamb and Kurtag(opens in a new tab)

Klangforum Wien, Bas Wiegers (Direction), Viktoriia Vitrenko (Soprano), Florian Bogner (Sound projection), György Kurtag (Komposition)
Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ, Amsterdam(map, opens in a new tab)

25. Nov 2026

20:00

Chamber Concert(opens in a new tab)

Hans Henning Ernst (Violin), Hansjacob Staemmler (Piano), György Kurtag (Komposition)
Studio der Philharmonie (NWD), Herford(map, opens in a new tab)

Tickets(opens in a new tab)

27. Nov 2026

20:00

SWR Symphonieorchester: Line 2 – Beethoven and Kurtag(opens in a new tab)

Mitglieder des SWR Symphonieorchesters, György Kurtag (Komposition)
Konzerthaus Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau(map, opens in a new tab)

Tickets(opens in a new tab)

27. Nov 2026

20:15

Mitsuko Uchida(opens in a new tab)

Mitsuko Uchida (Piano), György Kurtag (Komposition)
Flagey, Studio 4, Brüssel(map, opens in a new tab)

29. Nov 2026

20:15

Mitsuko Uchida – Recital(opens in a new tab)

Mitsuko Uchida (Piano), György Kurtag (Komposition)
Muziekgebouw Frits Philips, Eindhoven(map, opens in a new tab)

06. Dec 2026

20:00

Mitsuko Uchida – Recital(opens in a new tab)

Mitsuko Uchida (Piano), György Kurtag (Komposition)
Philharmonie Berlin, Berlin(map, opens in a new tab)

08. Dec 2026

19:30

Mitsuko Uchida – Recital(opens in a new tab)

Mitsuko Uchida (Piano), György Kurtag (Komposition)
Wiener Konzerthaus, Wien(map, opens in a new tab)

10. Dec 2026

19:00

Klangforum Wien / Vitrenko / Wiegers (series “Kurtag 100”)(opens in a new tab)

Klangforum Wien, Bas Wiegers (Direction), Viktoriia Vitrenko (Soprano), Florian Bogner (Sound projection), György Kurtag (Komposition)
Wiener Konzerthaus, Mozart-Saal, Wien(map, opens in a new tab)

14. Dec 2026

20:00

Catherina Lee and Miles Walter(opens in a new tab)

Catherina Lee (Violin), Miles Walter (Piano), György Kurtag (Komposition)
Kings Place, Hall One, London(map, opens in a new tab)

15. Dec 2026

20:15

Close-up Concertgebouworkest: All’ungherese(opens in a new tab)

Gemma Lee (Violin), Jane Piper (Violin), Catherine Ribes (Viola), Joris van den Berg (Cello), Thomas Beijer (Piano), György Kurtag (Komposition)
Concertgebouw, Kleiner Saal (Recital Hall), Amsterdam(map, opens in a new tab)

16. Dec 2026

19:30

Keren Motseri & Joseph Puglia – Kurtag: Kafka Fragments(opens in a new tab)

Keren Motseri (Soprano), Joseph Puglia (Violin), György Kurtag (Komposition)
Pierre Boulez Saal, Berlin(map, opens in a new tab)

30. Jan 2027

19:30

Juilliard String Quartet (People’s Symphony Concerts)(opens in a new tab)

Juilliard String Quartet, Areta Zhulla (Violin), Leonard Fu (Violin), Molly Carr (Viola), Astrid Schween (Cello), György Kurtag (Komposition)
Washington Irving Campus, 40 Irving Place, New York(map, opens in a new tab)

07. Feb 2027

14:00

Kim Kashkashian & Friends – Reflections from Around the World(opens in a new tab)

Kim Kashkashian (Viola), Adam Newman (Viola), Edward Luengo (Cello), Roberto Granados (Guitar), Petra Berényi, György Kurtag (Komposition)
American Philosophical Society, Benjamin Franklin Hall, Philadelphia(map, opens in a new tab)

15. Feb 2027

19:30

Czech Chamber Music Society – Juilliard String Quartet(opens in a new tab)

Juilliard String Quartet, Areta Zhulla (Violin), Leonard Fu (Violin), Molly Carr (Viola), Astrid Schween (Cello), György Kurtag (Komposition)
Rudolfinum, Dvorak-Saal, Prag(map, opens in a new tab)

16. Feb 2027

Tabea Zimmermann, Jean-Guihen Queyras, Javier Perianes(opens in a new tab)

Tabea Zimmermann (Viola), Jean-Guihen Queyras (Cello), Javier Perianes (Piano), György Kurtag (Komposition)
Teatro Principal, Alicante(map, opens in a new tab)

17. Feb 2027

Tabea Zimmermann, Jean-Guihen Queyras, Javier Perianes(opens in a new tab)

Tabea Zimmermann (Viola), Jean-Guihen Queyras (Cello), Javier Perianes (Piano), György Kurtag (Komposition)
Auditorio Nacional de Musica, Madrid(map, opens in a new tab)

19. Feb 2027

Tabea Zimmermann, Jean-Guihen Queyras, Javier Perianes(opens in a new tab)

Tabea Zimmermann (Viola), Jean-Guihen Queyras (Cello), Javier Perianes (Piano), György Kurtag (Komposition)
Fundaçao Calouste Gulbenkian, Lissabon(map, opens in a new tab)

23. Feb 2027

Tabea Zimmermann, Jean-Guihen Queyras, Javier Perianes(opens in a new tab)

Tabea Zimmermann (Viola), Jean-Guihen Queyras (Cello), Javier Perianes (Piano), György Kurtag (Komposition)
Warschauer Philharmonie, Warschau(map, opens in a new tab)

24. Feb 2027

Tabea Zimmermann, Jean-Guihen Queyras, Javier Perianes(opens in a new tab)

Tabea Zimmermann (Viola), Jean-Guihen Queyras (Cello), Javier Perianes (Piano), György Kurtag (Komposition)
Hochschule für Musik Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau(map, opens in a new tab)

26. Feb 2027

20:00

BBC Philharmonic Orchestra: Grave Tidings(opens in a new tab)

BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Naomi Woo (Direction), Sean Shibe (Guitar), György Kurtag (Komposition)
RNCM Concert Hall, Manchester(map, opens in a new tab)

01. Mar 2027

20:00

Tabea Zimmermann, Jean-Guihen Queyras et Javier Perianes(opens in a new tab)

Tabea Zimmermann (Viola), Jean-Guihen Queyras (Cello), Javier Perianes (Piano), György Kurtag (Komposition)
Cité de la musique – Philharmonie de Paris, Salle des concerts, Paris(map, opens in a new tab)

06. Mar 2027

19:00

Newcastle International Chamber Music Series: Engegard Quartet(opens in a new tab)

Engegard Quartet, György Kurtag (Komposition)
The Glasshouse International Centre for Music, Sage Two, Gateshead(map, opens in a new tab)

08. Mar 2027

Recital: Kirill Gerstein, Christian Tetzlaff, Stefan Dohr(opens in a new tab)

Kirill Gerstein (Piano), Christian Tetzlaff (Violin), Stefan Dohr (Horn), György Kurtag (Komposition)
Laeiszhalle, Hamburg(map, opens in a new tab)

19. Apr 2027

Recital: Kirill Gerstein, Christian Tetzlaff, Tabea Zimmermann, Daniel Ottensamer, Stefan Dohr(opens in a new tab)

Kirill Gerstein (Piano), Christian Tetzlaff (Violin), Tabea Zimmermann (Viola), Daniel Ottensamer (Clarinet), Stefan Dohr (Horn), György Kurtag (Komposition)
Musikverein, Wien(map, opens in a new tab)

23. Apr 2027

Dresdner Philharmonie – Tabita Berglund, Kirill Gerstein(opens in a new tab)

Dresdner Philharmonie, Tabita Berglund (Direction), Kirill Gerstein (Piano), György Kurtag (Komposition)
Kulturpalast, Dresden(map, opens in a new tab)

24. Apr 2027

Dresdner Philharmonie – Tabita Berglund, Kirill Gerstein(opens in a new tab)

Dresdner Philharmonie, Tabita Berglund (Direction), Kirill Gerstein (Piano), György Kurtag (Komposition)
Kulturpalast, Dresden(map, opens in a new tab)

04. May 2027

19:30

Musicians from Marlboro III(opens in a new tab)

Anatol Toth (Violin), Yebin Yoo (Violin), Hélène Clément (Viola), Brian Isaacs (Viola), Jay Campbell (Cello), Macintyre Taback (Cello), György Kurtag (Komposition)
American Philosophical Society, Benjamin Franklin Hall, Philadelphia(map, opens in a new tab)

05. May 2027

19:30

Lawrence Power & EXAUDI: Cassandra Miller’s The Years(opens in a new tab)

Lawrence Power (Viola), Ilya Gringolts (Violin), Nicolas Altstaedt (Cello), EXAUDI, György Kurtag (Komposition)
Milton Court Concert Hall, London(map, opens in a new tab)

16. May 2027

14:00

Lucy Fitz Gibbon & Alexi Kenney – Kafka Fragments(opens in a new tab)

Lucy Fitz Gibbon (Soprano), Alexi Kenney (Violin), György Kurtag (Komposition)
American Philosophical Society, Benjamin Franklin Hall, Philadelphia(map, opens in a new tab)

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