Ligeti Horn Trio

Tonight, Dan and I had the privilege of hearing a live performance of the Ligeti Horn Trio. I was very excited about this performance. The horn player for the piece was Szabolcs Zempléni.  If you look at my previous post titled "Frigyes Hidas," you can see him as the horn soloist for the Hidas Horn Concerto. Although I didn't have a chance to meet him, I know what I want to say if I ever have the chance. "Hello. You don't know me but you have played such an important role in my life. I saw your performance of the Hidas Horn Concerto on youtube.  This performance introduced me to one of my absolute favorite composers and inspired the research I'm doing today. You were the beginning of the journey that brought me here to Hungary." Whew! I hope that I can inspire people like that someday. I hope I have the chance to share this with him in the future.  Anyway, the concert was great! Here is the program:

Schubert: Characteristic March
Alban Berg: Four Pieces for Clarinet and Piano, op. 5
Jörg Widmann: Fünf Bruchstücke (Five Fragments)
Franz Schubert: Arpeggione-Sonata, D. 821
György Ligeti: Trio for Horn, Violin and Piano
Ludwig van Beethoven: Sonata for Violin and Piano in G major, op. 96

FEATURING:

Izabella Simon, Dénes Várjon - piano
András Keller - violin
Szabolcs Zempléni - horn
Jörg Widmann - clarinet
István Várdai - cello


Here are some thoughts I had about the concert (in no particular order, because it's late).

Ligeti lived about the exact same time as Hidas. It's amazing how different their music is.
The horn part for the Ligeti Horn Trio is ridiculously hard.
Jörg Widmann has a presence on stage that I wish to have someday. He has that energy that keeps moving through the rests. I loved his soft entrances that came from nowhere.
I'm not sure that I've ever heard a piece by Alban Berg live before. It was great!
My listening experience is lacking when it comes to string repertoire. I should listen to more of their music and apply their musicality to my own playing.

On Sunday, we're going to go hear Concerto Budapest where Szabolcs Zempléni will be playing the horn solo in Messiaen's Des Canyons aux étoiles. Hooray for a horn filled weekend!