The award ceremony took place on 3 September in Budapest at the Budapest Music Center, where György Kurtág has lived and worked since 2015. The Board of Trustees of the Wolf Foundation was represented by Amnon Rechner, and Yacov Hadas-Handelsman, Ambassador of the State of Israel in Budapest and Ferenc Hudecz, Vice President of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences were present at the ceremony. Upon receiving the award, the 98-year-old composer was moved to thank his late wife, Márta Kurtág (1927-2019), who was his companion for 73 years, and his closest friend and colleague, András Wilheim musicologist (1949-2022), who took care of his works for more than four decades at UMP Editio Musica Budapest. 

Established in 1978 by Richard Wolf, the prize is awarded annually to researchers and musicians who have made lasting contributions to the fields of mathematics, medicine, physics, agriculture and music. There are two Hungarians among this year's nine awardees, along with György Kurtág, neurobiologist Roska Botond (shared with José-Alain Sahel) received the prestigious award.

'For his contribution to the world’s cultural heritage, which is fundamentally inspirational and human' – the international jury commented on its decision. – 'His music, which deals with the existential questions of the human soul, focuses on fundamental emotions such as love and sorrow, fear, anxiety, despair, and a desire for harmony and reconciliation. His art ranges from small forms, such as his short piano works, to a large-scale cantata or opera, and it reflects the past and present of the entire history of Western music. Kurtág’s immense influence on numerous musicians is simply magical. His scholarly environment has always been lucky to absorb from him a unique spirit of devotion to music, structural thinking and harmony and hence experiencing his tutorial work as a torch of humanity.'

Read more about the award and the laureates here. 

 Yacov Hadas-Handelsman, György Kurtág and Amnon Rechter – Photo: István Huszti / BMC