IN PRODUCTION
Hungary occupies a special place in 20th-century music: between dictatorship and awakening, tradition and avant-garde, West and East. Few artists’ biographies reflect these tensions as impressively as that of 100-year-old composer György Kurtág. His life and work are exemplary of a century of political upheaval and artistic reorientation. At the same time, he has an extraordinary relationship with György Ligeti – two composers whose paths crossed repeatedly despite their different aesthetic developments and who shared a deep artistic respect for one another.
The film takes us on a journey through the music and history of 20th-century Hungary. Impressive images of the Hungarian landscape and Budapest, personal memories and musical analyses combine to create a multi-layered portrait. Biographical episodes and political contexts interweave with the unique sound worlds of Kurtág and Ligeti. The result is not only a portrait of a great composer, but also a moving portrait of a friendship that has had a lasting impact on European music history.
Written and directed: Thomas von Steinaecker
Editor: Volker Schaner
Camera: Christoph Valentien, Dávid Kárpáti Péter Simonffy Maximilian Smoliner
Commissioning Editor: Karl Thumm
A production of 3B-Produktion Gmbh
Commissioned by SWR
In cooperation with ARTE.
