The great composer, György Ligeti, died Monday, June 12. He was hugely influential to many composers in the 20th century and no doubt will continue to influence composers for generations to come. His music ranges from menacingly dark to playful and humorous.
The mainstream headlines (thanks to the AP) are reading “‘Space Odyssey’ composer dies.” Yes, his music was used to great effect by Kubrick (I remember my hair standing on end when watching the rerelease on the big screen in the late nineties), but it was used without Ligeti’s permission, and it only featured in a couple of scenes (the AP article says he won acclaim for “his work on the soundtrack” which is patently false). It seems to be a strange choice to sum up his life’s work in that bit part. Did the headlines read “‘Fantasia’ composer dies” when Stravinsky passed away? To be fair, the rest of the article is well done, and I’m happy to see him mentioned at all in the press. The Guardian in the UK has a great piece.
Anyway, he was one of my favorite composers and he has left a great legacy in his art. For an excellent introduction to his music and a taste of its breadth, listen to Chamber Music Vol. 7.
His son, percussionist and composer Lukas Ligeti, posted this on his site:
What I’ve learned from my father, more than anything else, is that we only live once, and that it’s a good idea to live this life to the fullest and make the most you can of yourself and your talents, by learning and working relentlessly, always listening to your inner self-critic, and never ceasing to take risks and explore. He did. I hope to do the same.
As do I. (except for listening to my inner self-critic… I’m doing my best to ignore him)
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