Ligeti: Clear or Cloudy: complete recordings on Deutsche Grammophon

Orchestral Recording of the Month - BBC Music Dec 2006

Benchmark recordings of 24 works by a master of soundscapes, who stretched the boundaries of the musically conceivable.

The music of György Ligeti (1923-2006) is 'among the most innovative of the last half of the 20th century. Sometimes eerie, sometimes humorous, usually fantastical and always polished' (Paul Griffiths).

In this generous tribute, 24 works, dating from 1948 to 1993, are performed by musicians who consistently championed his art. DG has benchmark recordings of over 20 of his works, whose composition dates stretch from 1948 to 1993, so we can offer a convincing overview of his music.

This compilation includes two pieces used in 2001: A Space Odyssey and an award-winning collection of concertos under Boulez.

Most are currently available at high price (2 in 20/21 echo).

Performances by artists including Boulez, Abbado, Hagen Quartet, LaSalle Quartet, Kontarsky brothers, Matt Haimowitz, Pierre-Laurent Aimard and Saschka Gavriloff