Kafka Fragments

György Kurtág, Kafka Fragments  Op 24

Hungarian composer György Kurtág's seventy-five-minute multi-movement work uses fragments of texts from the diaries of Franz Kafka, to create a  kaleidoscopic world of sound, sense and expression. Each fragment—some lasting less than a minute—is singular and potent; each movement offers a glimpse of a distinct viewpoint, and each gain in meaning through juxtapositions throughout the work as a whole.

The accompanying exhibit, Approaching Kurtag, offers an additional avenue of juxtaposition and conversation. For each of the five artists in the exhibit, Jinane Abbadi, Michele Burgess, Bill Kelly, Olda Procházka and Jim Renner, have, contained within the borders of each print, a unique language. These images, which themselves have been created in conversation with poetry, prose, frameworks of language and broader ideas, resonate with recurring themes of the Kafka Fragments. The beauty and chaos of cities; the abyss of the divine, the unending complexities of human relationships, the loneliness of the outsider, the joyous heartbreak of living. Approaching Kurtag offers another space for the imagination of the listener and viewer to inhabit, wander and explore.       –Susan Narucki

Biographies

Susan Narucki

For over three decades, American soprano Susan Narucki has forged a unique path; her dedication to the music of our time has led to award  winning recordings, critically acclaimed performances with musicians of the first rank and close collaborations with generations of composers. She has appeared as soloist with the Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles  Philhamonic, San Francisco Symphony, Netherlands Opera, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and with contemporary music groups across the globe. Her extensive discography includes music of Claude Vivier,  Elliott Carter, George Crumb, Louis Andriessen and most recently, The Edge of Silence: Vocal Chamber Music of György Kurtág (AVIE Records),  nominated for a 2019 Grammy for Best Classical Vocal Recording. The recording was included in the New York Times Best Classical Tracks of  2019 and was named a Critic’s Choice of Opera News. Ms. Narucki serves  as Distinguished Professor of Music at the University of California, San  Diego.  www.susannarucki.net

Curtis Macomber

The playing of violinist Curtis Macomber has been praised by The New York Times for its ‘thrilling virtuosity’ and by Strad Magazine for its ‘panache.’ He enjoys a distinguished career as soloist, chamber musician, and teacher and is recognized as one of America’s foremost  interpreters and proponents of new music. Mr. Macomber’s extensive discography includes the complete Brahms and Grieg Sonatas as well as  hundreds of critically praised recordings of contemporary solo and chamber works. As a member of the New World String Quartet from 1982–93, he performed in virtually all the important concert series in the U.S., in addition to touring abroad. He is the violinist of Da Capo, a founding member of the Apollo Trio, and the newest member of both the Manhattan String Quartet and the Walden Chamber Players. Mr. Macomber is presently a member of the chamber music faculty of the Juilliard  School, where he earned B.M., M.M., and D.M.A. degrees as a student of Joseph Fuchs. He is also on the violin faculties of the Manhattan and Mannes Schools of Music, and has taught at the Tanglewood, Taos and Yellow Barn Music Festivals.