Kafka Fragments  György Kurtág  
May 2, 2022  7 p.m.  Conrad Prebys Concert Hall, UC San Diego  
Susan Narucki, soprano,  Curtis Macomber, violin 

György Kurtág's Kafka Fragments, Op.24 was completed in 1985 and is a seventy-five-minute work for voice and violin, set to fragments of text from the diaries of Franz Kafka. The work is divided into four parts. The first, third and fourth parts consist primarily of movements that are short in duration and which vary widely in their range of expression. These brief, intense movements are juxtaposed with several extended movements, which serve as a counterbalance, allowing us the opportunity to explore the composer's fantastical sound world more fully.  

I have been performing the piece for over thirty years and am drawn to the limitless range of emotional expression that is created through the fusion of the texts with Kurtág's inexhaustible musical imagination. The piece is a tour de force, exploring the limits of what can be expressed through the combination of voice and violin, an outpouring of wonder, rage, and ecstasy. It is a musical journey that I find to be irresistible.   

On May 2, 2022, I will be presenting the work with my longtime friend and colleague, the American violinist Curtis Macomber, a legendary champion of contemporary music. 

The concert takes place at UC San Diego Department of Music Conrad Prebys Concert Hall at 7 p.m. It is free and open to the public. 

RSVP required to attend in person: music.ucsd.edu/tickets
Watch livestream: music.ucsd.edu/live