György Ligeti Violin Concerto Premiered On This Day In 1990

The first performance was given by German-Bulgarian virtuoso, Saschko Gawriloff.

György Ligeti Violin Concerto premiered on this day in 1990.

The first performance of the first version of this work, which included only three movements, was given by German-Bulgarian virtuoso Saschko Gawriloff and the Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra under conductor Gary Bertini in Cologne.

In 1992, Ligeti revised the score by replacing the first movement and adding two new movements. This updated version premiered on October 8, 1992, also in Cologne with Gawriloff and Ensemble Modern, conducted by Peter Eötvös.

Finally, he re-orchestrated the third and fourth movements, and the definitive version was first performed on June 9, 1993, by Gawriloff and Ensemble InterContemporain, conducted by Pierre Boulez.

The 5 movement work, representative of the composer's late style, is described as a synthesis of avant-garde exploration with traditional melodic and formal conventions.

CHRISTIAN TETZLAFF | GYÖRGY LIGETI VIOLIN CONCERTO | FRANCOIS-XAVIER ROTH & GURZENICH ORCHESTRA COLOGNE