Pianist Tamara Stefanovich Honors Kurtág at 100 with Masterful London Recital
In a captivating performance at Milton Court in London, pianist Tamara Stefanovich presented a recital titled Labyrinth, celebrating the 100th birthday of Hungarian composer György Kurtág. The 90-minute cycle, performed without pause, masterfully wove Kurtág's short piano works with pieces by Claude Debussy, Franz Liszt, and Johann Sebastian Bach, creating an essay in sound that blurred repertoire and styles.
A Tribute to the Master of the Miniature
While Kurtág's large-scale works like Stele or his opera Fin de partie might seem fitting for a centenary, Stefanovich focused on his genius for economy and brevity. Known as "the master of the miniature," Kurtág's true essence shines in provisional, concise compositions, many from his ongoing series Játékok (Games).
Stefanovich's program smudged the edges between pieces, paying homage to a composer whose sound world is alive with musical ghosts. By exposing echoes and palimpsests, she highlighted Kurtág's unique voice in a landscape of historical influences.
Musical Interplay and Stylistic Blurring
The recital opened with Bach's early Capriccio for the departure of a beloved brother, a programmatic sequence that stared into the mirror of Kurtág's mercurial Eight Piano Pieces. The third piece's slippery interplay of voices glanced back to Bach's counterpoint while reaching toward Debussy's chalky impressionism.
Apple Blossom from Játékok resembled a Schumann or Mendelssohn folk song that strayed directly into Liszt's late Nuages gris. This sleight of hand left listeners questioning their ears, as unresolved storm clouds seemed to bridge centuries.
Stefanovich didn't stop at blurring repertoire; she also smeared styles. Kurtág's theatrical, almost Romantic gestures contrasted with Debussy's negative space and modernity. Her heavily pedaled, often strident Bach served as an earth wire or thread through the maze, grounding the program's aphoristic impermanence.
Inspired Closing and Birthday Tribute
The decision to close with the final Contrapunctus from Bach's The Art of Fugue—broken off where Bach left it unfinished—was inspired. This jagged fragment, ripped from the book in real time, echoed Kurtág's own fragmented aesthetic.
Kurtág's Pantomime saw Stefanovich's hands approach the keyboard by way of coda, then coyly dart away without striking a sound. This combination of wit and silence formed the perfect birthday tribute to a singular musical voice.
Stefanovich's recital was more than a celebration; it was a masterful exploration of how Kurtág's miniatures converse with musical history, proving that brevity can hold profound depth.
