Musica Ricercata (Ligeti) - Juan Pérez Floristán

(source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVmdaeTcRAE)
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Musica ricercata is a set of eleven pieces for piano by György Ligeti. The work was composed from 1951 to 1953. The work premiered on 18 November 1969 in Sundsvall, Sweden. Although the ricercata (or ricercar) is an established contrapuntal style (and the final movement of the work is in that form), Ligeti's title should probably be interpreted literally as researched music or sought music. This work captures the essence of Ligeti's search to construct his own compositional style ex nihilo, and as such presages many of the more radical directions Ligeti would take in the future (wiki).

(video by Juan Pérez Floristán)

I. Sostenuto -- Misurato -- Prestissimo
II. Mesto, rigido e cerimoniale (2:35)
III. Allegro con spirito (6:20)
IV. Tempo di valse (poco vivace - « à l'orgue de Barbarie ») (7:22)
V. Rubato. Lamentoso (9:15)
VI. Allegro molto capriccioso (12:08)
VII. Cantabile, molto legato (12:52)
VIII. Vivace. Energico (16:33)
IX. (Béla Bartók in Memoriam) Adagio. Mesto -- Allegro maestoso (17:37)
X. Vivace. Capriccioso (19:52)
XI. (Omaggio a Girolamo Frescobaldi) Andante misurato e tranquillo (21:07)

(Musica Nova)