Concert in the church Sent | FLOWERS ARE THE PEOPLE, ONLY FLOWERS

Margie Wu – piano
Laurence Mekhitarian – piano

An enigmatic title from György Kurtág's work, which connects man in his transience with the vulnerable and fleeting beauty of flowers – fitting for the senter floral splendour in June. We also listen to music by Bach, Debussy and Schumann.

György Kurtág's musical thinking is a way of thinking in terms of references and cross-connections. This is most evident in an enigmatic title that runs like a red thread through his work, but above all through the "Játékok": "Flowers, the people ...". Five pieces of this name can be found in the first volume of the "Játékok" alone, and he also appears again and again in the following volumes. The title comes from Kurtág's vocal cycle "The Proverbs of Peter Bornemisza" op. 7 (1963–1968); it describes the summary of one of the sayings of the Hungarian poet Bornemisza (1535–1584), who associates man in his transience with the vulnerable and fleeting beauty of flowers: "Death grabs you like a bird seizes a noose, forever it takes you down – flowers (are) people, only flowers." Kurtág's flower pieces are all extremely short aphorisms that manage with the most elementary means; the shortest of them consists of only seven individual tones distributed far across the keyboard. A soloist could easily cope with this. However, if the notes are played by two people on one instrument, the basic idea of connecting and interlacing appears in the movements of the players, because in four-handed playing the arms cross in many ways. Not only the sounds, but also the arms of two people wrap around each other here – and anyone who wants to can find in it a response to the threat of death invoked by Bornemisza.



The piano duo piano, piano began in Avignon in 1998 with four-hand works by György Kurtág. As soloists, the two pianists also show a great interest in contemporary music from all countries and maintain cooperation with their composers. A special love is then for the music of European Romanticism. PROGRAMME György Kurtág (*1926) Blumen, die Menschen,







dolce espressivo Blumen, die

Menschen, Lassan, tétován, szabadon Bach-Kurtág

Dies sind die heil'gen zehn Gebot' (BWV 635)G. Kurtág

Kyrie

Bach-Kurtág Gott, durch deine Güte (BWV 600)

G. Kurtág Aus der Ferne, Infinitamente piano e lento Bach-Kurtág

Aus tiefer Not schreie ich zu dir (BWV 687)G. Kurtág

Hommage à Soproni

Bach-Kurtág O Lamb of God, innocent



Claude Debussy (1862–1918) Six épigraphes antiques

Pour invoquer Pan, dieu du vent d'été

Pour un tombeau sans nom Pour

que la nuit soit propice Pour la

danseuse aux crotales Pour

l'Egyptienne

Pour remercier la pluie au matin



Robert Schumann (1810–1856) Bilder aus Osten op. 66 Lively Not fast



and very vocal to play

In folk tone

Not fast

Lively

Repentance, Reverent G. Kurtág



Hommage à Soproni, calmo, dolce, leggiero

Bach-Kurtág O Lamb

of God Concert tickets can be purchased directly at the box office. This is open 45 minutes before the start of the concert. There is no advance booking

The KulturBus takes you free of charge to Scuol, Ftan, Ardez and Tarasp after the concert. Register at the box office.