Bartok, Ligeti: From Microcosm to Macrocosm László Borbély

• Béla Bartók (1881 - 1945): Mikrokosmos, Book 5:
• 1 Bartók: Mikrokosmos, Book 5, BB105, No.126, Change of Time 00:40
• György Ligeti (1923 - 2006): Études, Book 3:
• 2 Ligeti: Études, Book 3, No. 15, White on White 05:18
• Béla Bartók: Mikrokosmos, Book 5:
• 3 Bartók: Mikrokosmos, Book 5, BB105, No.143, Divided Arpeggios 02:25
• György Ligeti:Études, Book 1:
• 4 Ligeti: Études, Book 1, No. 4, Fanfares 03:45
• Béla Bartók: Mikrokosmos, Book 5:
• 5 Bartók: Mikrokosmos, Book 5, BB105, No.140, Free Variations 01:45
• György Ligeti: Études, Book 1:
• 6 Ligeti: Études, Book 1, No. 2, Cordes à vide / Empty strings 03:29
• Béla Bartók: Mikrokosmos, Book 4:
• 7 Bartók: Mikrokosmos, Book 4, BB105, No.109, From the Island of Bali 02:20
• György Ligeti: Études, Book 2:
• 8 Ligeti: Études, Book 2, No. 7, Galamb borong 02:53
• Béla Bartók: Mikrokosmos, Book 4:
• 9 Bartók: Mikrokosmos, Book 4, BB105, No.107, Melody in the Mist 01:37
• György Ligeti: Musica Ricercata:
• 10 Ligeti: Musica Ricercata, No.5 (Rubato. Lamentoso) 02:59
• Béla Bartók: Mikrokosmos, Book 5:
• 11 Bartók: Mikrokosmos, Book 5, BB105, No.135, Perpetuum Mobile 01:17
• György Ligeti: Musica Ricercata:
• 12 Ligeti: Musica Ricercata, No.8 (Vivace. Energico) 01:00
• Béla Bartók: Mikrokosmos, Book 5:
• 13 Bartók: Mikrokosmos, Book 5, BB105, No.146, Ostinato 02:23
• György Ligeti: Études, Book 1:
• 14 Ligeti: Études, Book 1, Étude No. 1, Désordre / Disorder 02:29
• Béla Bartók: Mikrokosmos, Book 4:
• 15 Bartók: Mikrokosmos, Book 4, BB105, No.113, Bulgarian Rhythm I. (Transcription of Bartók's recording) 01:11
• György Ligeti: Études, Book 2:
• 16 Ligeti: Études, Book 2, No. 12, Entrelacs / Interlacing 03:00
• Béla Bartók: Mikrokosmos, Book 4:
• 17 Bartók: Mikrokosmos, Book 4, BB105, No.101, Diminished Fifths 01:08
• György Ligeti: Études, Book 1:
• 18 Ligeti: Études, Book 1, No.5, Arc-en-ciel / Rainbow 03:53
• Béla Bartók: Mikrokosmos, Book 4:
• 19 Bartók: Mikrokosmos, Book 4, BB105, No. 97, Notturno 02:25
• György Ligeti: Musica Ricercata:
• 20 Ligeti: Musica Ricercata, No.9, Béla Bartók in memoriam 02:40
• Béla Bartók: Mikrokosmos, Book 5:
• 21 Bartók: Mikrokosmos, Book 5, BB105, No.129, Alternating Thirds 00:57
• György Ligeti: Musica Ricercata:
• 22 Ligeti: Musica Ricercata, No.11, Omaggio a Girolamo Frescobaldi 03:38
• Béla Bartók: Mikrokosmos, Book 6:
• 23 Bartók: Mikrokosmos, Book 6, BB105, No.147, March 02:04
• György Ligeti: Études, Book 1:
• 24 Ligeti: Études, Book 1, No.6, Automne à Varsovie / Autumn in Warsaw 04:30
• Total Runtime 59:46

Info for Bartok, Ligeti: From Microcosm to Macrocosm

Listening to Bartók and Ligeti's works in this selection, we can expect a 'cosmic disorientation', a total reinterpretation of all our knowledge thanks to Bartók and Ligeti's 'microcosm' and 'macrocosm'. Although Bartók's Mikrokosmos series of more than one hundred and fifty smaller and larger works was originally written with a pedagogical purpose - for no other reason than to support his own son Peter's piano studies - it is the essence of his music, and anyone who wishes to study Bartók's oeuvre in the depth it deserves should begin with these works, since they offer the inexhaustible inexhaustibility of Bartók's inspiration. In this programme, which provides a coherent link between the works of Bartók and Ligeti, we will hear twelve movements of Mikrokosmos. György Ligeti's Études are of a difficulty that is a challenge to the human spirit, and are comparable in virtuosity to (concert) etudes by the great romantic composers (and often exceed them in difficulty). Ligeti cites Chopin and Liszt as his main sources of inspiration, as well as a number of Far Eastern influences (such as gamelan music) and African tribal music, and the music and art of Conlon Nancarrow and Thelonious Monk. He particularly emphasises the experience of touch and the 'moment of danger' experienced by the performer.' (László Borbély)

László Borbély, Steinway Model D Concert Grand Piano, Hamburg

László Borbély
was born in 1984. In 2007 he got his diploma with honours (Master of Music in Performance and Teaching) then his doctoral degree (Doctor of Liberal Arts) at the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music Budapest, where he is an assistant professor of Piano Faculty.

He played concerts at international festivals such Collegium Musicum Pommersfelden (Germany), Encuentro de Música y Academia de Santander (Spain), International Holland Music Sessions in Bergen (The Netherlands), TCU/Cliburn Institute in Fort Worth (USA), FestivaLiszt in Grottammare (Italy), Liszt Festival in Raiding (Austria), Liszt Festival in Bayreuth (Germany), International Bartók Festival Ankara (Turkey), International Conservatory Week Festival Saint Petersburg (Russia), Festival der Klänge in Vienna (Austria), CAFe Budapest Festival, Budapest Spring Festival, Day of Listening (Budapest), Tiszadob Piano Festival (Hungary), Beethoven Festival Martonvásár (Hungary), Arcus Temporum Festival Pannonhalma (Hungary) and International Bartók Festival Szombathely (Hungary).

He won numerous prizes at national and international competitions. He won 2nd Prize and a special prize for the best performance of the set piece at the EPTA International Piano Competition in Osijek (Croatia) in 2001. In the same year, he won the Great Prize of the national competition of secondary music schools in Békés-Tarhos. In 2002, he won the Yamaha Scholarship Award and also two 2nd and one 3rd prizes in different divisions of the Los Angeles International Liszt Competition where he won two special prizes too: prize for the „most artistic performance” and a special prize of the American Liszt Society. In 2003 he got the special prize of the Hungarian Ministry of Cultural Heritage at the national competition of the Hungarian Radio. Next Year he was first prizewinner at the Andor Földes national competition. In 2005 he won „Educational Award” at the London International Piano Competition. In 2006 he was 2nd prizewinner at the International Liszt-Bartók Piano Competition in Budapest where he got also a special prize of Budapest City. In 2009 he won 3rd prize and four special prizes at the National Haydn-Mendelssohn Piano Competition of the Hungarian Radio. He got the Annie Fischer Performers’ Scholarship three times (in 2008, 2009 and 2010). In 2009 he got „Junior Prima Prize”one of the most prestigious prize given for young artists.

He had lessons with Dmitrij Bashkirov, Gábor Csalog, Christopher Elton, Noel Flores, Péter Frankl, Márta Gulyás, Jan-Marisse Huizing, Zoltán Kocsis, György Kurtág, Claudio-Martinez Mehner, Piotr Paleczny, Murray Perrahia, Menahem Pressler, Ferenc Rados, Livia Rév, András Schiff, Tamás Ungár, Elisso Virsaladze, Mikhail Voskresensky, Tamás Vásáry and Rita Wagner.

He played concerts with prestigious artists such Zoltán Kocsis and the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra, Péter Csaba (violin), Barnabás Kelemen (violin), Lajos Lencsés (oboe), Alessandro Carbonare (clarinet), Lajos Rozmán (clarinet), Judit Rajk (voice), etc.

He has recitals regularly in Hungary and other countries too.

He made recordings for Hungarian Radio and TRT Ankara. His first solo CD released in 2016 (edited by: Bayer Music Group)

He took master classes in Geneve (Switzerland), Würzburg (Germany), Tbilisi (Georgia) and gave podium-lectures in Izmir (Turkey) and Saint Petersburg (Russia).

He is member of Metrum Ensemble.

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