Concert Ralph van Raat

György Ligeti’s ‘Etudes’ are to the twentieth century what the ‘Wohltemperierte Klavier’ was to the eighteenth century and Chopin’s ‘Etudes’ to the nineteenth: the bible for pianists. They caused a musical earthquake and are some of the most difficult pieces ever written for the piano. The Dutch pianist Ralph van Raat will be taking up this challenge and performing all sixteen etudes in a single evening. This promises to be an overwhelming experience, for as well as dizzying virtuosity and acrobatics, the ‘Etudes’ include a wide range of different styles. From Bach-like polyphony, to romantic allusions to Chopin and Liszt, jazz, African rhythms, American minimal music, and more. Ligeti forges this all into an entirely individual visual language, which is extraordinarily unique and unmistakable.

AT 6PM PIANIST RALPH VAN RAAT WILL GIVE A TALK on Ligeti’s ‘Etudes’ (lasts about an hour, in Dutch). This lecture is INCLUDED in your concert ticket.