György Kurtág, 98, is composing a second opera
OperaEncouraged by the success of Endgame, written at the age of 92 and premiered at La Scala, the great Hungarian aphorist is at work on a follow-up.
The story is about a mathematician who loses his beloved wife but is comforted by a vision of her waiting for him in the afterlife. ‘As long as I am writing this opera I have to believe this,’ he tells a Hungarian interviewer. Marta Kurtag died in 2019 after a marriage that lasted 72 years.
Kurtag was dissatisfied with the Milan and Paris premieres of Endgame. He is now engaging closely with young conductors to ensure improved performances.
Wishing him all the best….The last time i saw him in person,some years ago, he was already quite frail..But same as Herbert Blomstedt, music seems to keep him alive.
The composer did not attend any performance until the piece was performed in Budapest, so the comment that he was dissatisifed is unfounded, as is the comment that he is now engaging with younger conductors to ensure improved performances.
There are many ways these days of judging a performance without attending.
I hope he’ll consider authorizing an English translation of Endgame.
That is what one would call optimism.
Oh please…