In a recent review, The Guardian awarded Pierre-Laurent Aimard’s latest album, György Kurtág’s Játékok five stars and declared him a “perfect guide” to these challenging miniatures. Játékok realizes the spontaneity of a child exploring the piano with the compositional means of his adventurous, avant-garde idiom. Pierre-Laurent Aimard has developed an intimate artistic friendship with the composer over decades and this album was recorded in the composer’s presence under his artistic guidance, which was evident in the exceptional review’s closing words:
“Whole worlds of expression are encapsulated in just a few bars, and listening to Aimard’s exemplary performances provides as important an insight into Kurtág’s very personal musical thinking as any of his larger-scale, more “public” pieces. Játékok is one of the major achievements of the last half century, and Aimard is the perfect guide to it.”
Read the full review here.
