György Kurtág - Játékok (Pierre-Laurent Aimard)

Information

Composer: György Kurtág (b. 1926)

• Játékok, Book I–XI

Pierre-Laurent Aimard, piano

Date: 2025

Label: PENTATONE

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Star pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard presents an anthology from György Kurtág’s Játékok (Games), recorded in the composer’s presence and under his artistic guidance. In his extensive series of Játékok, Kurtág realizes the spontaneity of a child exploring the piano with the compositional means of his adventurous, avant-garde idiom. Recording such an extensive collection of Játékok is an important statement for Aimard, who has developed an intimate artistic friendship with the composer over decades.

A renowned champion of twentieth-century music, Pierre-Laurent Aimard has released multiple acclaimed albums in his exclusive contract with PENTATONE, including Messiaen’s Catalogue d’Oiseaux (2018) and Visions de l’Amen (2022), along with Beethoven’s Hammerklavier Sonata & Eroica Variations (2021). He also joined Tamara Stefanovich in Etudes and Frames (2023), with music by Vassos Nicolaou, and recorded Bartók’s Piano Concertos with the San Francisco Symphony and Esa-Pekka Salonen (2023).  The miniature nature of Kurtág’s Játékok makes them an unexpected, yet logical successor of Aimard’s acclaimed album Schubert Ländler (2024), which consisted of dances that the pianist often combines with Kurtág’s short pieces in live performances.