Joel Fan's video: Gyorgy Ligeti: Etudes Book III - White on White Pour Irina A bout de souffle Canon Joel Fan

As Ligeti’s last published work, while compact, is of significant technical complexity, requiring hand configurations beyond the norms of Classical and Romantic traditions. The Études draw from a diverse range of sources - including gamelan, African polyrhythms, Béla Bartók, Conlon Nancarrow, Thelonious Monk and Bill Evans. The rhythmic complexity stems from two vastly different sources of inspiration: the Romantic-era piano music of Chopin and Schumann and the indigenous music of sub-Saharan Africa. Restricted in his musical style by the authorities of Communist Hungary, it was only after he reached the west that Ligeti could fully realise his passion for avant-garde music and develop new compositional techniques. He has been described as "one of the most important avant-garde composers in the latter half of the twentieth century" and "one of the most innovative and influential among progressive figures of his time". Ligeti's music is best known to the public for its use in the films of Stanley Kubrick, Martin Scorsese and Michael Mann.