(Op. 33) for large orchestra, composed by Hungarian composer György Kurtág in 1994, is a defining work of modern orchestral music that functions as a monumental musical memorial. Often described as a "gravestone" or "memorial stone," the three-movement piece was commissioned by the Berliner Philharmoniker and dedicated to the Hungarian composer/conductor András Mihály. Overview of György Kurtág (b. 1926) Composition Year: Approx. 13–14 minutes Orchestration:
György Kurtág’s music remains under strict copyright (he passed away only in 2024, but his works are protected globally for 70+ years). Distributing or downloading a PDF of the Stele score without paying for it violates international copyright law and harms the composer’s estate and publisher. kurtag stele score pdf 22
Revised Ending: A 2006 addition to the score extended the final notes of the last movement, and while both versions are accepted, the original remains more frequently recorded. Musical Structure and Review Overview of György Kurtág (b
Strings: Full string section often required to play in dense, microtonal clusters. Where to Find the Score Distributing or downloading a PDF of the Stele
Woodwinds: 4 Flutes (inc. Piccolo), Alto Flute, Bass Flute, 3 Oboes, English Horn, 4 Clarinets, Bass & Contrabass Clarinet, 3 Bassoons, Contrabassoon.
On page 22 of the full score of György Kurtág’s Stele, the listener is deep inside the second movement, Agitato. Unlike the opening movement’s monolithic, tolling bells, this section is a web of isolated gestures – each instrument seems to speak alone, then retreat into silence. The composer’s lifelong fascination with the music of Webern and with the aphoristic form is fully displayed here.
Page 22 also exemplifies Kurtág’s use of “negative space.” The silences are not empty; they are heavy with the memory of the first movement’s funeral chorale. The Stele (Greek for “stone slab” or “tombstone”) is dedicated to the memory of the conductor Peter Eötvös’s parents, and on this page, the orchestra sounds like a room full of people trying and failing to say a name. The Agitato is not anger but the tremor of withheld grief – a grief that, by page 22, has shattered into a thousand silent fragments.