Israel’s Wolf Prize in Music Announces 2024 Winner

Hungarian composer György Kurtág has won the prize endowed with $100,000

 

Founded in 1975, the Wolf Foundation celebrates and promotes exceptional achievements in the sciences and the arts worldwide. The Foundation’s Wolf Prize is endowed with $100,000 and awarded annually to nominated individuals.

The acclaimed Hungarian composer György Kurtág is known for his avant-garde works in contemporary classical music. As this year’s winner, the 98-year-old is awarded for his “contributions to the world’s cultural heritage, which is fundamentally inspirational and human,” the press release stated.

“Kurtág’s influence on contemporary classical music is felt worldwide, and his compositions are appreciated by musicians and audiences alike,” reported Hungary Today. “His works show intensity and a keen introspection, capturing the human condition in a condensed but emotional musical form — one of the reasons why the international jury awarded the Wolf Prize to him.” 

Born in 1926 in Romania, Kurtág started playing the piano at the age of five with Klára Vojkicza-Peia. In 1946, he attended Budapest’s Franz Liszt Academy of Music, where he studied with Pál Kadosa, Leó Weiner, Sándor Veress, and Ferenc Farkas. His early musical education was influenced by the works of Kodály and Bartók. 

From 1960 to 1968, Kurtág served as a répétiteur for soloists at the National Concert Bureau. In 1967, he was invited to teach at his alma mater, initially as an assistant to his former teacher Kadosa in piano, and later as a chamber music teacher. 

Though he officially retired in 1986, Kurtág conducted classes regularly until 1993. Ever since, he has conducted chamber music courses across Europe and the U.S.

As a composer, he has written a diverse range of works, including chamber music, vocal compositions, and orchestral pieces. Notable among these is Játékok (meaning “games”), which showcases his exploration of musical language and experimentation with form. Among his accolades include the prestigious Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition. 

As a performer, Kurtág collaborated with his late wife and pianist Márta Kurtág. The pair frequently appeared in recitals together, showcasing memorable interpretations of Kurtág’s pieces.

Additionally, he has been composer-in-residence with orchestras, concert halls, theaters, and ensembles, including the Berlin Philharmonic, Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden, Wiener Konzerthaus, Dutch National Opera, and Ensemble InterContemporain.

“György Kurtág is awarded the Wolf Prize for presenting a shining example of a true musician and a human being,” the press release added. “His music, which deals with the existential questions of the human soul, focuses on fundamental emotions such as love and sorrow, fear, anxiety, despair, and a desire for harmony and reconciliation. 

“His art ranges from small forms, such as his short piano works, to a large-scale cantata or opera, and it reflects the past and present of the entire history of Western music,” it continued. “Kurtág’s immense influence on numerous musicians is simply magical. His scholarly environment has always been lucky to absorb from him a unique spirit of devotion to music, structural thinking and harmony and hence experiencing his tutorial work as a torch of humanity.”

Kurtág joins laureates of the Wolf Prize in the music category, including Pierre Boulez, György Ligeti, Plácido Domingo, Paul McCartney, Ádám Fischer, and Yehudi Menuhin.