SMORGAS CHORD FESTIVAL

17 June 2023 | Oxford

Smorgaschord 2023 celebrates the centenary of the dazzling Hungarian composer, György Ligeti, surely one of the most infectiously brilliant composers of all time. Ligeti lived an extraordinary life. A Hungarian born in Romania to a Jewish family, his early life was characterised by the trauma of the catastrophic events of the Second World War.

His music always packs a tremendous emotional punch. It is exuberant, full of imagination, zany, shocking - and often completely hilarious. There is no composer with a greater range of emotions - from apocalyptic devastation to farcical immaturity. But perhaps what is most amazing about Ligeti is the exuberance and enthusiasm of his music. He was fascinated by everything: music, art, film, poetry - from all over the world and from all across history.

And so, in just one day in June, we’re hoping to capture a snapshot of that eclecticism in our festival. We have some extraordinary musicians coming to join us, including pianist Danny Driver, horn-player Ben Goldscheider, the Kleio String Quartet, and violinist Stephen