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28 May 2023 marks the centenary of the birth of composer György Ligeti, whose lifelong search for new paths, from sound-surface music to micropolyphony and microtonality has left its defining, long-term mark on jazz musicians too. When French soprano saxophonist supreme, Emile Parisien and Italian pianist Roberto Negro – widely considered to be one of the most exciting pianists in Europe, on account of his own projects and his collaboration with the Ceccaldi brothers – choose to focus on Ligeti in their duo album Les Métanuits, this is not just some kind of quick centenary fix. For both musicians, this new venture has a long history. They quickly discovered that they both adored Ligeti, and found out that their favourite piece by Ligeti is the String Quartet No. 1, Métamorphoses nocturnes. “This string quartet is a rich source of inspiration for our improvisations,” Parisien explains. “The original motifs, moods and colours shine forth again and again. Harmonically, we expanded them with our ideas,” says Negro.

Métanuits is a fascinating endeavour: a wonderful piece of craftsmanship in which everything seems to interlock. There is high-wire virtuosic playing, exploration of all the tonal possibilities of the instruments by both players. There is also a surprising lyrical warmth, as the pair follow each other through constantly changing re-framings of the theme, which takes on an irresistible expressiveness. In their homage to Ligeti, they don't even bother with the historicising conventions and barriers of an old, abstract or arcane avant-garde. Instead, they let this beguilingly contemporary music resound – and reveal its astonishing communicative strengths.