Études
The Hungarian composer György Ligeti composed a cycle of 18 études for solo piano between 1985 and 2001. They are considered one of the major creative achievements of his last decades, and one of the most significant sets of piano studies of the 20th century, combining virtuoso technical problems with expressive content, following in the line of the études of Frédéric Chopin, Franz Liszt, Claude Debussy, and Alexander Scriabin but addressing new technical ideas as a compendium of the concepts Ligeti had worked out in his other works since the 1950s. Pianist Jeremy Denk wrote that they "are a crowning achievement of his career and of the piano literature; though still new, they are already classics.".
Movements
- Book I: No. 1. Désordre
- Book I: No. 2. Cordes vides
- Book I: No. 3. Touches bloquées
- Book I: No. 4. Fanfares
- Book I: No. 5. Arc-en-ciel
- Book I: No. 6. Automne à Varsovie
- Book II: No. 7. Galamb borong
- Book II: No. 8. Fém
- Book II: No. 9. Vertige
- Book II: No. 10. Der Zauberlehrling
- Book II: No. 11. En suspens
- Book II: No. 12. Entrelacs
- Book II: No. 13. L’Escalier du Diable
- Book II: No. 14. Coloana infinită
- Book III: No. 15. White on White
- Book III: No. 16. Pour Irina
- Book III: No. 17. À bout de souffle
- Book III: No. 18. Canon
Recommended recordings
- Pierre-Laurent Aimard YouTubeSpotify (subscription)
- YouTubeSpotify (subscription)