Product Description
This book focuses upon how the Hungarian composer György Ligeti's (1923-2006) compositional style was completely transformed during and after the composition of his only opera Le Grand Macabre (1974-77). He rejected his earlier modernist technique of dense and dissonant polyphony (known as micropolyphony), replacing this with a more eclectic stylistic approach, one which he used for the rest of his life. The opera is examined in detail to outline the new structures that Ligeti uses, and his use of quotation, pastiche and harmony in the music. His approach in Le Grand Macabre is different because the nature of opera put several significant constraints on his technique, and this transformed his style and compositional strategy. These changes in style and technique are analysed in detailed, with an explanation of possible reasons behind these changes, and an examination of the consequences for Ligeti's subsequent music.
His music composed before and after the opera is also examined in detail with many musical examples. In particular his Horn Trio (1982) is analysed to demonstrate how his compositional approach had changed radically after the opera, making use of a romantic-type phrase structure. The modernist versus postmodernist polemic is examined using examples from European and American composers, with the conclusion that Ligeti's later music shows many characteristics of postmodernism.
The rationale for writing this book is that the topic of stylistic crisis in Ligeti's music is one which has not been covered in any detail in English, and has a wider significance as it deals with the challenge of postmodernity for all mainstream modernists such as Ligeti. There are also no texts in English that examine Ligeti's most significant work, Le Grand Macabre, in any detail.
"Mike Searby's excellent study of Ligeti takes us into new territory. Analytically detailed yet always readable, Searby charts a fascinating journey through the most important works, throwing new light on this most chameleonic of composers." - Roger Heaton, Professor of Music, Bath Spa University

From the Author
This is the first book which deals with a crucial period in Ligeti's compositional output around the composition of the opera Le Grand Macabre. His music showed a stylistic fracture shifting from the use of micropolyphony and textural music to a more traditional and tonal/modal approach. The book examines Le Grand Macabre, the Horn Trio and other works from this period in detail and also contains many photographs from the Copenhagen production of the opera.