Re: [microsound] Cage

[Guillaume Grenier <grenier.g@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On 07/01/03 21:14, "Musicmax@xxxxxxx" said in living color:

> Hi fellow Microsounders,
>  what would be the essential listening of John Cages work?audio?

I suppose you are looking for recordings? When it comes to Cage, one must
keep in mind that a good number of works haven't been recorded (because
they're hard to realize or because they simply don't make any sense as a
recorded artifact [most of the works from the '60s]).

I must admit, much to my shame, that I haven't heard that much Cage. Still,
I can warmly recommend two CDs and provide a list of recordings I haven't
heard yet (but were still selected/researched with care by yours truly...).

One of the most widely known and most accessible Cage work is the "Sonatas
and Interludes for Prepared Piano". It's an incredibly beautiful set of
pieces that constitute a cornerstone of 20th century piano music. Usually,
this is the piece to recommend to people not particularly attuned to
"experimental music" (I suppose this isn't a problem with this list's
members, though...) and/or resistant to Cage's music. There are now a
plethora of available recordings of this work. The one I have -- and of
which I'm very fond, preferring it to some excerpts of others I've heard --
is by Yuji Takahashi on Denon. I don't know if this is still available... I=
t
also happens to be among the very first digital recordings of music -- it
was recorded in 1975!! Two recent recordings that are supposed to be good
are those by Julie Steinberg (Music & Arts) and Louis Goldstein (Greenseye
Music). A recording of historical interest is the one by Maro Ajemian (CRI)=
..
Ajemian was the dedicatee of the piece and worked with Cage on it.
Unfortunately, the CRI label just announced its demise -- see
<http://www.composersrecordings.com/Welcome.htm>.

Another great CD is the Arditti quartet's recording of "Music for Four" and
"Thirty Pieces for String Quartet", on Mode. Music for Four is composed of =
4
absolutely independent parts where the interprets have to decide how they
space the notes provided to them, how many times they repeat those notes,
etc. Also, the piece is spatialized by the players' adopting unconventional
seating positions.

Last but not least, here is what's under "Cage, John" in my Humongous, No,
Endless List of CDs to Buy=81:

Indeterminacy (Cage/Tudor-Smithsonian/Folkways)
Music for Prepared Piano, Vol. 2 (Boris Berman-Naxos)
Music of Changes (Joseph Kubera-Lovely Music; Herbert Henck-Wergo)
=C9tudes australes (Claudio Crismani-RS; Steffen Schleiermacher-MDG)
Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano (Julie Steinberg-Music & Arts;
Louis Goldstein-Greenseye Music; Maro Ajemian-CRI)
Complete Works for Piano [several volumes] (Steffen Schleiermacher-MDG)
Concerto for Prepared Piano (Takahashi/Foss-Etcetera [2 CDs])
The Seasons (ECM)
Atlas Eclipticalis (Mode [CD?]; Hat Hut)
String Quartet in Four Parts (Arditti-Mode)
Quartet; Imaginary Landscape # 1; First, Second Construction in Metal;
Double Music (Amadinda Percussion Group-Hungaroton)
Singing Through (Joan La Barbara-New Albion)

Hope this helps.

g.

--=20
Guillaume Grenier - grenier.g@xxxxxxxxxxxx

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