The devil's staircase

Cathy Krier's 2024 rendition of Gyorgy Ligeti's 'L'Escalier du Diable' (The Devil's Staircase) is a breathtaking descent into the abyss of sound - a relentless, towering piece that challenges both pianist and listener. In the Luxembourger pianist's hands, this hard-driving toccata - fast-moving, lightly-fingered composition - transforms into a terrifying yet mesmerising spectacle, a staircase that seemingly ascends beyond human limits.

Ligeti's 1993 work, part of the Hungarian composer's 'Etudes' (Studies), is a study in perpetual motion, filled with asymmetrical rhythms, ferocious clusters and escalating intensity. Krier's precision is surgical. Yet, her interpretation breathes with unsettling vitality.

She captures the demonic urgency of the ever-ascending lines, where each repeated motif feels like an impossible, Sisyphean climb. Her touch balances stark violence with eerie delicacy, ensuring that even in moments of crushing dissonance, a spectral beauty lingers.


Listening to 'L'Escalier' is a psychological experience, a labyrinthine sonic spiral. It's a masterpiece of controlled chaos, one of Ligeti's most thrilling, gripping pieces.