Ligeti - Études pour Piano

György Ligeti composed his 18 Études pour Piano over a period of more than 17 years. His first book of six Études was published in 1985. From the outset, the composer planned to compose a second volume, also comprising six Études. The reference to the piano tradition and the collections of six and twelve études by Chopin, Liszt and Debussy is obvious. The second book, composed between 1988 and 1994, contains eight pieces. His third and final book contains four more, composed between 1995 and 2001. Although Ligeti composed his Études independently of each other, the arrangement within the three books is the result of a selective and well thought-out project: each book forms its own cycle.