Kurtag receives Spanish bank group foundation award

Budapest (MTI) – Hungarian composer Gyorgy Kurtag has received the award of the Spanish bank group BBVA’s foundation in the contemporary music category this year, the Liszt Music Academy said on Tuesday.

The international jury granted Kurtag the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award for his work that stands out for its “rare expressive intensity,” the foundation said on its website.

“The novel dimension of his music lies not in the material he uses but in its spirit, the authenticity of its language, and the way it crosses borders between spontaneity and reflection, between formalism and expression,” it said, describing Kurtag as one of the outstanding names from the generation of Ligeti, Stockhausen or Boulez in Europe’s contemporary music scene.

Past recipients of the award, regarded one of the most prestigious honours for contemporary composers, are Steve Reich and Pierre Boulez. The award with a 400,000 euro cash prize will be presented at a ceremony in BBVA’s headquarters in Madrid in June.

Photo: mta.hu

Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters