New York, NY

This Music Should Not Exist.

György Ligeti’s life was filled with drama. He escaped Nazi extermination in a Jewish labor camp and eventually fled totalitarian oppression at the hands of the liberating Soviets in Hungary. His music’s dense melodic webs and conflicting rhythms—along with a host of other experimental sounds, shapes, and forms—embody the dreams, fantasies, and nightmares of a life lived on the edge. Alarm Will Sound tells Ligeti’s incredible story through a blend of music and recorded sounds in a concert that resembles a live podcast.

Complete works performed:
György Ligeti, Continuum; Steven Beck, harpsichord
György Ligeti, Piano Concerto; John Orfe, piano soloist
György Ligeti, Chamber Concerto

Excerpts in order of first appearance:
György Ligeti, Chamber Concerto
György Ligeti, Requiem
Anton Seifert, Kärntner Lieder-Marsch
György Ligeti, Piano Concerto
György Ligeti, Poème Symphonique
György Ligeti, Haj, ifjuság
Charlie Chaplin arr. Orlando, Modern Times
Karlheinz Stockhausen, Kontra-Punkte