Aventures, Nouvelles Aventures, are two pieces that set an original text by Hungarian-born composer György Ligeti. Aventures, the first part of the set, is composed for three singers and seven instrumentalists including celeste, harpsichord, and percussion. This work premiered in Hamburg in 1963. Nouvelles Aventures was composed in 1965, and contains two movements. Together Aventures and Nouvelles Aventures create the semblance of an operatic drama. They are filled with intense emotions, implied dramatic moments, humor, nonsensical dialogue, a myriad of episodes and quasi-scenes that create a drama of expressive sounds. While Aventures is extremely imaginative and uses a variety of techniques for producing sound, Nouvelles Aventures is more tightly controlled, moves more quickly, and is even quirkier than its predecessor. In 1966 Ligeti added action for dancers and mimes, creating a sea of theatrical invention. Since its premiere, Aventures, Nouvelles Aventures, has become a classic of the twentieth century avant-garde.

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