György Ligeti – Six Bagatelles

Let’s start the New Year with something clever.

The name Ligeti will not be familiar to many of our readers, but those of a certain age may recall his works from the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey (released in 1968). (Yes, that film seems kind of old and quaint now, even though it was cutting edge just a few years ago.) Most people will associate Richard Strauss’s Also Sprach Zarathustra with the film. Indeed, the film turned that late Romantic work into a pop hit. But Ligeti’s Atmospheres played a significant part. Just a few weeks ago, Professor Carol was writing about this film and how Stanley Kubrick made effective use of the music.

Ligeti (1923-2006) was a major figure in 20th-century avant garde music. He fled his native Hungary in 1956 and settled in Vienna. The Bagatelles featured in this post were first composed for piano in 1953 and later scored for wind quintet. A bagatelle is generally a short, humorous work. The term denotes something of little value (bagat a small possession + elle a diminutive suffix). Much of Ligeti’s music can be challenging for the average listener, but the Bagatelles are quite accessible and fun.

Those characteristics are enhanced by the very clever choreography and filming of the Danish group CARION. You can read about them and find more of their videos here.