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In 1985, Gyorgy Ligeti produced a collection of six piano ëtudes, to which he added two further volumes in the following sixteen years. Many people in New Music circles of the time responded with a lack of appreciation and understanding. Whereas the piano etude tradition of the 19th century was continued by Bartok, Debussy and Stravinsky at the beginning of the 20th century, this tradition no longer existed by the end of the 20th century. Ligeti not only wanted to revive a great musical tradition but also to explore it's potential in a contemporary form. His piano writing is not only polyphonic in the customary sense, but also polyrhythmic, poly-temporal, and even poly-ethnic. On this recording from Wergo, pianist Thomas Hell makes a powerful case for these fascinating works.