Szeged exhibition marks György Kurtág’s 100th birthday
SZEGED, Hungary — A visual arts exhibition honoring composer György Kurtág opened Wednesday in Szeged, launching the city’s contribution to the celebrations marking the internationally acclaimed musician’s 100th birthday, which he celebrated on Feb. 19.
The exhibition, titled Határsértők – Kurtág és társai (Trespassers – Kurtág and Friends), opened at the Fekete Ház before a large audience as part of the Kurtág 100 event series. Organizers said Szeged is the only non-capital city participating in the commemorations, underscoring the significance of the local tribute.
József Kozma, a municipal representative and chairman of the city assembly’s cultural committee, opened the event by wishing the composer a happy birthday. He noted that Kurtág, who wrote his first composition at age 16, has maintained an active creative life for 84 years — a span that places him among the most enduring figures in contemporary music.
The exhibition sheds light on a lesser-known dimension of Kurtág’s artistic identity. In addition to contextual materials, it features a substantial selection of his drawings and graphic works, highlighting how his creative vision extends beyond music into the visual arts.
Andrea Horváth, deputy director of the Móra Ferenc Museum, said the exhibition offers visitors a rare opportunity to step inside Kurtág’s broader artistic world. While best known as a composer, she emphasized, he is also a virtuoso pianist and an influential teacher whose impact has shaped generations of musicians.
Gergely Dubóczky, artistic director of the Szeged Symphony Orchestra and initiator of the city’s participation in the Kurtág 100 series, described the composer’s music as concise rather than verbose, with each note carrying particular weight. In Kurtág’s works, he said, meaning often emerges not only from sound but from the silences between notes.
Art historian Anna Váraljai, curator of the exhibition, invited art collector János Gát, a close acquaintance of the composer, to address the audience. Gát spoke about the importance of artistic freedom in Kurtág’s circle and emphasized that the works on display include drawings that hang in the composer’s own home — pieces among which he lives.
The Szeged programs also include a pre-premiere screening of the documentary Kurtág-töredékek (Kurtág Fragments) at the Belvárosi Cinema. The film, which explores the composer’s life and artistic philosophy, was shown Wednesday evening and will be screened again Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m.
The Szeged Symphony Orchestra will present a chamber concert titled Kurtág világa (“Kurtág’s World”) next Wednesday at the Kisszínház. Audience members who present a ticket from the exhibition or the film screening are eligible for a 15 percent discount on concert tickets.
Together, the exhibition, film, and concert form a multifaceted tribute to a composer known for distilling extraordinary emotional depth into remarkably concise musical forms.
Photos: Szilvia Molnar / Szegedify
