Pierre-Laurent Aimard continues his year-long celebration of György Ligeti’s centenary with a return to the Klavier-Festival Ruhr on 31 May, performing his complete cycle of the composer’s Etudes. Aimard’s own close friendship and long-time professional association with Ligeti may have influenced the rich infusion of extreme virtuosity and pianistic inventiveness with which the composer imbibed the Etudes, which figure among the most popular of Ligeti’s late works. 

Aimard’s recital on 31 May is framed by Lorenzo Soulès’ performance of Ligeti’s Concert for Piano on 30 May with Susanne Blumenthal and Ensemble ColLAB Cologne, which Aimard will introduce, and a lecture-concert given by Aimard himself on 1 June centred around Ligeti’s Musica Ricercata.