Ligeti Deconstructed

Everything in Florestan Bataillie's life orbits around music! He is not only a pianist and composer but also an inspired storyteller who eagerly imparts his deep-seated passion for classical music to the audience.

For a span of eight years, from 1980 to 1988, György Ligeti dedicated himself to crafting his piano concerto. The result was a formidable, five-movement composition teeming with rhythmic challenges.

During this period, Ligeti was concurrently revolutionizing piano technique with his inaugural collection of Etudes, and the impact of these innovations is discernible in the fabric of his concerto. In his own words, he penned the following thoughts about this transformative endeavor:

"I present my artistic credo in the Piano Concerto: I demonstrate my independence from criteria of the traditional avantgarde, as well as the fashionable postmodernism. Musical illusions which I consider to be also so important are not a goal in itself for me, but a foundation for my aesthetical attitude. I prefer musical forms which have a more object-like than processual character. Music as 'frozen' time, as an object in imaginary space evoked by music in our imagination, as a creation which really develops in time, but in imagination it exists simultaneously in all its moments. The spell of time, the enduring its passing by, closing it in a moment of the present is my main intention as a composer."

Explore the historical backdrop, unravel the construction nuances of this masterpiece, and demystify terms such as polymetrics and 'aksak.'

Whether you're a seasoned connoisseur or simply curious, all are invited, and prior knowledge is not a prerequisite!

Flagey, Brussels Philharmonic