Hungarian composer György Kurtág, known for his avant-garde contemporary classical works, won the 2024 Wolf Prize for Music, an international award from the Israel-based Wolf Foundation. In recognizing Kurtág with the $100,000 prize, the Wolf Foundation hailed “his contribution to the world’s cultural heritage, which is fundamentally inspirational and human.” Recent past winners in the music category include singer Stevie Wonder and composer Olga Neuwirth (2021), signer Paul McCartney and conductor Ádám Fischer (2018), and soprano Jessye Norman and pianist Murray Perahia (2015).
Why it matters:
- The importance of the avant-garde: Recognizing Kurtág with the Wolf Prize underscores the importance of avant-garde contributions to contemporary classical music and their lasting impact.
- Kurtág’s significance: Though little-known outside the classical world, the award highlights global appreciation of Kurtág’s work, encouraging broader recognition and exploration of his unique musical language and compositions.
