Unwavering, curious and humorous, György Ligeti pursued his artistic path and in doing so became one of the foremost composers in the second half of the 20th century. His career began for the Hungarian, the 100th anniversary of whose birth is in 2023, after he had emigrated to the West. But his personal and artistic roots lie in Transylvania, where he was born and grew up as the son of Jewish parents. Actor Ulrich Matthes and members of the Berliner Philharmoniker look back on the composer’s early years with texts and music.

Ulrich Matthes speaker

Members of the Berliner Philharmoniker

Götz Teutsch programme supervision

Cordelia Höfer piano