The Kurtág Project

A documentary, recital and opera recording to celebrate Kurtág's 100th birthday in February 2026.

Good health permitting György Kurtág will celebrate his 100th birthday in February 2026. He is considered to be one of the most important and influential composers of contemporary classical music. For the occasion Poorhouse International has collected programmes which show him at work and in performance.

In 2012 György and Márta Kurtág gave a legendary piano recital at the Cité de la musique in Paris. They played solo and four-hand transcriptions of J.S. Bach compositions and work of their own including homages to other composers and friends as well as musical jokes. Játékok – Games and Transcriptions was recorded for television and shot in HD by Isabelle Soulard. Running Time 82:20

Maryline Charrier filmed Kurtág at the height of his powers in 2017 as he was finishing his one and only opera based on Samuel Beckett's Endgame. With the help of granddaughter Judit Kurtág, she succeeded in producing a very intimate portrait of the family, hence the title Kurtág – Three Generations. Shot in HD. Running Time 56:00

Last but not least RAI has allowed us to include Kurtág's opera Fin de partie, premièred at La Scala in 2018 and recorded for television by Arnalda Canali. Shot in HD. Running Time 132:30