Márta Kurtág facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Márta Kurtág
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in 2014
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| Born |
Márta Kinsker
1 October 1927 Esztergom, Hungary
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| Died | 17 October 2019 (aged 92) Budapest
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| Organization | Franz Liszt Academy of Music |
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Márta Kurtág (born Márta Kinsker) was a talented Hungarian classical pianist. She was also a piano teacher at a university. Born on October 1, 1927, she passed away on October 17, 2019.
Márta was married to the famous composer György Kurtág. They performed music together for 60 years! They often played pieces from his special collection called Játékok. They even recorded these pieces together.
Márta Kurtág's Life
Márta Kurtág was born in a city called Esztergom in Hungary. She loved music from a young age. She studied how to play the piano with great teachers like András Mihály and Leó Weiner.
She met her future husband, György Kurtág, in Budapest. He had moved there in 1946 to study music. They got married in 1947. Their son, also named György, was born in 1954.
Márta taught piano at the Béla Bartók Music High School in Budapest. She taught there from 1953 to 1963.
After a big event in Hungary in 1956, Márta and György lived in Paris for a year. This was from 1957 to 1958. While there, György continued his music studies. Later, Márta taught music at the Franz Liszt Academy from 1972.
Márta was very important to her husband's life and music. She was a wonderful pianist who performed with him. She was also the first person to listen to his new music. She would give him ideas and feedback as he wrote his songs.
They performed together for 60 years. They played in concerts, on the radio, and made recordings. They often played from György's collection called Játékok. This collection means Games. It has many short pieces for one or two pianos. Some pieces are even new versions of old songs by Johann Sebastian Bach.
Later parts of Játékok are like a musical diary. They are called Diary Entries and Personal Messages. In 2004, György Kurtág was the main composer at a music festival. Márta played with him from Játékok at this event. They also gave concerts at the Aldeburgh Festival in 2008. They played with other musicians there.
They performed Játékok in many famous places. These included Carnegie Hall in New York City in 2009. They also played in Paris, Aix-en-Provence, and Washington, D.C. In 2013, György Kurtág received a special award in London. Márta played alongside him at the award ceremony.
Márta Kurtág passed away in Budapest on October 17, 2019.
Music Recordings
Márta and György Kurtág made several recordings together. In 1997, an album called Játékok / György Kurtág, Márta Kurtág was released. It included their performances of Bach's music.
In 2015, they recorded another album. It was called Marta & Gyorgy Kurtág: In Memoriam Haydée. This album also featured pieces from Játékok. It had more of their special versions of Bach's songs.
A collection of their recordings was released in 2017. These recordings were made for Hungarian Radio between 1955 and 2001. It included pieces from Játékok and a special Suite for Four Hands.
