Without risk, one does not accomplish anything; one remains mediocre. When I left Hungary, I had no idea what was going to happen; perhaps I was going to be shot at the border… (György Ligeti, interview with Pierre Gervasoni, 1997)
In June of last year, we were saying our goodbyes to Ligeti. Sometimes it seems very distant now, sometimes like yesterday… And sometimes it can feel like he’s still around. The folks at UBUweb recently posted Michel Follin’s excellent 1993 Ligeti documentary, so for an hour you can revisit the man any time.
It’s in French (with a few German subtitles), but even though I don’t speak the language I had no real trouble following. You’ll get intimate vignettes in his studio, thoughts about many of his works (with audio and video clips), and an impressionistic journey through some of the major stations of his life.