Photo: Marcel Antonisse / Anefo / CC BY-SA 3.0 nl (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
György Ligeti strikes me as one of the boldest minds in twentieth-century music, a composer who treated sound as something to dismantle and rebuild. I'm endlessly charmed by the audacity of Poème symphonique for a hundred metronomes; it's the kind of idea that looks absurd until you realize it's genius. From a small Romanian town he became a defining avant-garde voice, yet for all his difficulty there's wit threading through his work. The Praemium Imperiale and Adorno honors confirm his stature, but what I admire most is that rare blend of rigor and mischief.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- György Ligeti
- Name (Japanese)
- リゲティ・ジェルジュ
- Reading
- りげてぃ・じぇるじゅ
- Born
- May 28, 1923 – June 12, 2006
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Gemini / Boar
- Origin
- Târnăveni, Mureș County, Romania
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- composer / music educator / university teacher / pianist / musician
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- 2003 Kossuth Prize
- Ring of Honour of the City of Vienna
- 1975 Bach Prize of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg
- Pour le Mérite for Sciences and Arts order
- 2003 Theodor W. Adorno Award
- 1991 Balzan Prize
- 1991 Praemium Imperiale
- 1990 Léonie Sonning Music Prize
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | Poème symphonique | — |
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was György Ligeti born?
May 28, 1923 – June 12, 2006.
Where is György Ligeti from?
György Ligeti is from Târnăveni, Mureș County, Romania.
What does György Ligeti do?
György Ligeti works as composer, music educator, university teacher, pianist, musician.
What is György Ligeti known for?
Notable works include Poème symphonique.
Composer — see all → · Music educator — see all → · More people from Romania →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-21
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.