Freeman Etudes, Books Three And Four
This CD presents the first recording of the second half of John Cage's Freeman Etudes for violin. Those familiar with the previously-released volume of this work will already know what to expect: the bewildering complexity of the Etudes and the astonishing virtuosity of Irvine Arditti's performance.
Convinced that the later, more complex etudes were unplayable, Cage abandoned work on the Freeman Etudes in 1980, after completing the first sixteen and beginning the eighteenth Etude. It wasn't…
Atlas Eclipticalis With Winter Music
Originally released as a 4LP set back in the early days of Mode Records, the first two discs of this 3CD set document the two live performances of John Cage's 1961 orchestral work Atlas Eclipticalis played simultaneously with 1957's Winter Music (in a version for three pianos) recorded at Seattle's Cornish Institute on December 11th 1983. Disc three presents what the label rather grandly describes as an "all-star" recording of all 86 instrumental parts of Atlas Eclipticalis, (the first of its ki…
Complete string quartets, volume 2
The Complete String Quartets Vol. 2. “String Quartet in Four Parts” (1949-50). “Four” (1989). The Arditti Quartet. The second volume of Cage's String Quartets features his first and last works in this repertoire. The well known and exquisitely beautiful, serenely Zen-like early quartet receives its first new recording in 16 years. It is a pivotal work in Cage's oeuvre, showing the composer's transition between the rhytmically complex percussion works before it and the chance works of the 1950s. …
Complete Short Works for Prepared Piano
The complete short prepared piano works collected on 2-CDs. John Cage's works for prepared piano expose his earliest experimentations in finding new and exotic sounds.Brief and attractive, they are among his most accessible work. This release marks the first time all of his short works for prepared piano have been made available in one set. All the prepared piano works are included aside from the magnum opus, Sonatas and Interludes. Pianist Philipp Vandr´e has recorded Sonatas and Interludes for…
A Cage of Saxophones 2
The 35th volume in Mode's Complete John Cage Edition is also the second release in Ulrich Krieger's series of interpretations for solo saxophone and saxophones with other instruments. Ensemble pieces of comparatively large dimensions were gathered on A Cage of Saxophones: Vol. 1, so this follow-up disc presents pieces for smaller combinations and solos, though with no less originality or charm. Even though most of these works were composed for open instrumentation, saxophones suit Cage's …
44 Harmonies from Apartment House 1776
Cage's "44 Harmonies" were originally written to form part of the sprawling bicentennial commission "Apartment House 1776", and take as their starting point late 18th century anthems and hymn tunes by William Billings, Jacob French, Andrew Law, James Lyon and the wonderfully-named Supply Belcher. Cage's compositional - or rather decompositional - method was to remove certain tones and extend others, and as James Pritchett points out in the (excellent as always for Mode) liners, he was delighted …
Atlas eclipticalis / 103
Two live, unedited performances of Cage's orchestral music: "At last Eclipticalis With Winter Music" (recorded 5/19/93, performed by The Orchestra of the SEM Ensemble, conducted by Petr Kotick, piano by David Tudor) and "103" (recorded 11/21/98, performed by the Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Petr Kotik)." Kotik and Cage met for the first time in May, 1964, performing a 3-hour, six percussion version of Atlas Eclipticalis. Kotik's association with Cage continued until the composer'…
A tribute
From the liner notes of Eric Salzman: “John Cage wrote for keyboards throughout most of his life. Most famously, he invented the so-called "prepared piano" but he also wrote for unprepared piano in both traditional and untraditional ways. His later piano works employ an almost ferocious complication and virtuosity at the outer limits of performer possibility. Earlier he used electronic extensions, chance and performer collaboration in complex ways. His early keyboard music was written for himsel…
Jani Christou (Enantiodromie / Praxis / Epicycle / Anaparastasis)
An expanded version of the previous rz LP by Jani Christou. All works by Christou, the late, legendary "freely-atonal" Greek composer. Features: "Enantiodromia" (1965-68, for orchestra); "Praxis" (1966-69, for string orchestra and piano), "Epicycle" (1968, for instruments, actors and voices); "Anaparastasis III" (1968-69, for soloist, ensemble and continuum [tapes]); "Mysterion" (1965-66, for narrator, actors, 3 choirs, orchestra and tapes)"Jani Christou tried to use and incorporate philosophica…
A Catalogue of Sounds
Jakob Ullmann's music realizes an infinite variety of gradations in all areas of musical formation. That the music of the "catalogue" is nearly always played very softly leads to the ear noticing the smallest differentiations; the listener is put into a state of constant, acute attentiveness. The musical stream is constantly subjected to small irritations, sometimes its flow quickens, sometimes there are brief splashes like those caused by pebbles thrown into water. Performers: Ensemble Oriol Be…
One Line Two Views
One Line, Two Views features seven compositions for nine-piece
ensemble by Muhal Richard Abrams. Works range from the subtle textural
and tonal explorations of “Textures,” “Hydepth,” and the title track to
the hard bop revisitations of “11 over 4” and “The Prism 3.” The disc is
rounded out by an ebullient, joyous, and celebratory “Tribute to Julius
Hemphill and Don Pullen” and the blues-tinged “Ensemble Song.” Abrams
opts for unique instrumentation including violin, harp, and accordion.
…
Iannis Xenakis
Trifold glossy slipcase includes two CDs, label catalogue and 16-page booklet of liner notes and images. For new initiates and avant-garde fiends alike, this Iannis Xenakis collection renders a breathtaking survey of works by the radical composer, theorist, architect and engineer, spanning the period 1956-1974 and featuring some of the greatest works of the 20th century, including the awe-inspiring sonic architecture of ‘Persepolis’.Inarguably one of the most important composers to blend electro…
Ensemble Music Vol.2
Recorded after performances at New York's prestigious 92nd Street Y in 1996 with the participation of the composer, Ensemble Music 2 is the follow up to the initial, critically acclaimed and best selling volume of Iannis Xenakis' Ensemble Works on Mode.
This disc contains the first recording of Xenakis' memorial work A la Mémoire de Witold Lutoslawski, to the great Polish composer. A literal monument in sound, comprised of massive blocks of brass arranged as a dirge-like fanfare. Composed in 19…
Ensemble Music Vol.1
Xenakis' oeuvre is unique in modern music--it is music of great visceral power, energy and sheer sound. Music from another world. Music that grabs the listener, riveting his attention. Conductor Charles Zachary Bornstein is a Xenakis specialist. Bornstein learned that of the 700 to 800 performances of Xenakis' music worldwide each year, only a handful were in America. He formed New York's ST-X Ensemble (named after Xenakis' series of ST- compositions from the 1960s) in 1994 to fill the void.
Mod…
Percussion Works
Performed by the percussion ensemble red fish blue fish, directed by Steven Schick. "The first complete set of Xenakis' percussion ensemble, percussion duos, and solo percussion works. As Steven Schick states in his comprehensive essay accompanying this set, Xenakis was the 'progenitor of modern percussion music.' Of course, Iannis Xenakis did not create percussion music, his first major contribution to the percussion repertory came more than three decades after the American percussion revolutio…
in Tokyio
Implosive Eternity -- computer assisted music; 'Abysses Latents -- for voice, tenor saxophone and percussion; 'Bolids & Contemplations (III) -- computer assisted music; 'La Legende D'Icaire' -- for bass clarinet, ensemble and computer assisted sounds; 'Penumbra' -- for saxophone solo. Performed by: Keiko Hatanaka, Robert Reigle, Gustavo Aguilar, Tim Hodgkinson, Hyperion Ensemble
Soleil Explosant
First CD in a while from the Romanian composers Dumitrescu and Avram (potenially associated with the European "spectralism" contingent, what The Wire referred to as "the altered harmonic dimensions and numinous sonorities of the European avant garde composition movement"). Iancu Dumitrescu: "Remote Pulsar (I)" (computer assisted music), "Movemur (III)" (spectral music for viola solo, performed by: Cornelia Petroiu), and "Numerologie Sect*te (I)" (computer assisted music). Ana-Maria Avram : "Inca…
monades
Two pieces by Dumitrescu: "Au Dela de Movemur" (for orchestra & strings) & "Monades (Gamma & Epsilon)" (for 6 monocords, crystals & metallic objects). Avram is a young Rumanian composer, and of similar interest, with 3 pieces: "Ekagrata" (for orchestra), "Signum Geminai" (for ensemble and tape) & "Zodiaque III" (for prepared piano, percussion and tape).
galaxy
GALAXY ( acousmatic music for gongs, harryphones, metallic plaques and percussions ) & MOVEMUR ET SUMUS for 2 cellos 2 double basses. ( HYPERION Ensemble ) & RELIEFS for piano and orchestra (Alexandrina ZORLEANU) & ALTERNANCES for string quartet & BAS-RELIEFS for large orchestra
s/t
PIERRES SACREES ( acousmatic music ) & HARRYPHONIES - alpha ( with Fernando GRILLO & HYPERION Ensemble /Cond.; Iancu Dumitrescu ) & ìGRANDE OURSEì chamber ensemble and tape ( Hyperion Ensemble/ Cond. Iancu Dumitrescu ) & HARRYPHONIES - epsilon, Large orchestra and soloists: Fernando GRILLO, Barry WEBB, Melvin POORE, ConductorS Iosif CONTA & Iancu DUMITRESCU - Romanian Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra