Photo: Marcel Antonisse / Anefo / CC BY-SA 3.0 nl (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Born on May 28, 1923 in Târnăveni, Mureș County, Romania, György Ligeti was a composer, music educator and university teacher. György Ligeti died on June 12, 2006, aged 83. Recorded honors include Kossuth Prize (2003), Ring of Honour of the City of Vienna, Bach Prize of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (1975) and 5 more. Credited works include Poème symphonique.
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
- Occupation
- composer / music educator / university teacher / pianist / musician
2. Background
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. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | Poème symphonique | — |
4. Links
- Official sitehttp://www.gyoergy-ligeti.de
- Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gy%C3%B6rgy%20Ligeti
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%AA%E3%82%B2%E3%83%86%E3%82%A3%E3%83%BB%E3%82%B8%E3%82%A7%E3%83%AB%E3%82%B8%E3%83%A5
- Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q154331
5. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-21
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was György Ligeti born?
Born May 28, 1923.
When did György Ligeti die?
Died June 12, 2006, aged 83.
Where was György Ligeti from?
György Ligeti was from Târnăveni, Mureș County, Romania.
What did György Ligeti do?
György Ligeti worked as composer, music educator, university teacher, pianist, musician.
What was György Ligeti known for?
Notable works include Poème symphonique.
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