Page 22 also exemplifies Kurtág’s use of “negative space.” The silences are not empty; they are heavy with the memory of the first movement’s funeral chorale. The Stele (Greek for “stone slab” or “tombstone”) is dedicated to the memory of the conductor Peter Eötvös’s parents, and on this page, the orchestra sounds like a room full of people trying and failing to say a name. The Agitato is not anger but the tremor of withheld grief – a grief that, by page 22, has shattered into a thousand silent fragments.

Commissioned by the and dedicated to conductor Claudio Abbado , Stele (the Greek word for a commemorative tombstone) serves as a profound musical epitaph for Kurtág's friend and mentor, the Hungarian conductor and teacher András Mihály .

If you're looking for the score of one of Kurtág's works that might include "Stele" in its title or related to it, here are some steps you could take:

Creating a piece in the spirit of Kurtág involves deep emotional engagement and a willingness to experiment. This piece, "Echoes," aims to capture a moment of introspection and dialogue through music. Performers should feel encouraged to explore and interpret the notation freely, much like Kurtág's scores often suggest.