Reissues
Za
This is another one of Franco Battiato's amazing recordings from the 70's, and it features two extended pieces -- "ZA" and "Café Table Musik". "Za" is a long piece for solo piano, with lots of spare minimal moments, and haunting trancelike lines of chords that build very very slowly. It's a beautiful exercise in restraint, and the kind of haunting soundscape that Battiato is legendary for. "Café Table Musik" is a bit more complex, although it's still got minimal piano progressions as its core. T…
II.
Group 180 II is from 1985 and exhibits the same good taste in modern compositional works. There are two pieces by Steven Reich, “Piano Phase” and “Octet”. Compositions by András Soós and Bela Farago make up the rest of the album. It should be note that, with the exception of Rzewski and Reich, the composers are all members of Group 180. It is again a well played set and one that fans of modern music will treasure. Only one copy available.
180-AS-CSOPORT
'Group 180' ('180-as Csoport' in Hungarian) was a Hungarian ensemble dedicated to the performance of new music, active from 1978 until 1990. The group achieved recognition for their performances and recordings of contemporary music in the minimal style. Group 180's membership included several young Hungarian composers (among them László Melis and Tibor Szemz?), whose works formed an important part of the ensemble's repertoire. This brought the group prominence as one of the preeminent European n…
Musical Electro-Alchemy
Synthesist and electroacoustic composer born in 1933. Ivan Patachich was the musical director of Budapest film studios. He died in 1993. These recordings made in the Electronic Music Studio of the Hungarian Radio and in the Institute of Sonology, State University Utrecht. Very rare. Only one copy available.
Computer Music
Works by three composers ("Quartets in Pairs / Quartersines / Mudget: Monologues By A Mass Murderer" by J.K. Randall, "Synthesism" by Barry Vercoe, "Changes" by Charles Dodge) realized in the computer centers of Columbia and Princeton Universities. Only one copy available.
Electronic Music V
Music from the Dartmouth International Electronic Music Competitions 1969 and 1970, by Peter Glushanok, Jose Vicente Asuar, Richard Allan Robinson, Jean-Claude Risset, Raymond Moore and Peter Klausmeyer. Only one copy available.
Prochronisms
Morphogenesis, made up of: Clive Graham, Roger Sutherland, Ron Briefel, Micha, Fred Sansom, and Andy Courdry, was formed in 1985. They were interested in exploring the possibilities of live electronics and collective improvisation. The members have diverse musical backgrounds, including teaching electonic music at Morley College and playing in other groups ranging from Cornelius Cardew's Scratch Orchestra, Nurse with Wound and Organum. Only one copy available.
New Music For Piano(s)
Compositions by Xenakis/Takahashi/Earle Brown performed by Yuji Takahashi, on Mainstream. Hérma for piano solo (1960-61) by Xenakis dedicated to Yuji Takahashi; Fantasy for Pianist (1963-64) by Reynolds; Metatheses (1968) by Yuji Takahashi dedicated to Gunther Schuller; Corroboree (for three pianos) (1963-64) by Earle Brown commissioned by and dedicated to Aloys, Alfons and Bernhardt Kontarsky Only one copy available.
Electronic Music III
Third volume of the great contemporary electroacoustic compilations published by Turnabout: Electronic Music III. It contains electronic music by Berio/Druckman/Mimaroglu. Only one copy available.
Was?? / Proteinimperialism
What?? was composed in 1967 in the electronic music studio of Swedish Radio, and was originally released on the German new music label Wergo with Bo Anders Persson 's Proteinimperialism , another static drone piece. What?? is based on Folke Rabe 's intense interest in monotony and harmonic overtones. The work is based on deep drones and their partials, where each partial is separately manipulated. Sometimes this coalesces into a beautiful chord, sometimes into more dissonant structures, but is c…
144 Sounds: Electronic Music
Zoltán Pongrácz (5 February 1912, Diószeg - 3 April 2007) was a Hungarian composer. Pongrácz studied composition from 1930 to 1935 with Zoltán Kodály at the Budapest Academy of Music. He became professor of composition at the Debrecen Conservatory in 1947 and continued in that position until 1958. For a time he ceased compositional activity, until attending the Darmstadt summer courses in 1964, 1965, and 1972, and the third Cologne Courses for New Music in 1965–66 with Karlheinz Stockhausen, Hen…
Last Camel In Paris
Throughout the 1970s, legendary American composer Terry Riley toured regularly in Europe, performing solo organ concerts. In October 1978, Riley's personal technician Chester Wood built a stereo digital delay out of an ancient computer he had procured from Don Buchla, and the subsequent tour was the maiden voyage to try it out. Riley's specially modified two-manual Yamaha YC-45D portable combo organ had a Just Intonation setting and allowed him to feed stereo signals to the digital delay. The Ya…
Rothko Chapel / For Frank O'Hara
Two famous compositions from Morton Feldman.: Rothko chapel, [sound recording] for chorus, viola, and percussion and For Frank O'Hara, for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, and percussion. Both pieces consists of mostly only slightly overlapping tones. Only one copy available.
Viola In My Life / False Relationships
False Relationships and the Extended Ending" alternates between exact proportions and "free time" in the vertical style (slowly changing chords, common-tone suspensions etc. in works such as "Atlantis" (1958) and "The Swallows of Salangan" ) which came after the counterpoint style of the early 50's graph pieces. "The Viola in My Life" (composed especially for Karen Phillips) was the next development adding melody-like gestures. Ethereal, heartfelt. Only one copy available.
Songs From The Hill/Tablet
Recordings from '76/77. "Songs..." is a suite of solo voice pieces, showcasing her various extended techniques. Some excellent experimental vocals, some a bit too whimsical perhaps. "Tablet" is a 23 minute ensemble work for 4 female voices, piano & soprano recorder. Only one copy available.
Solo Music
Recordings of Contrary Motion and Two Pages by Philip Glass during February and March 1975 in New York City. Performed by Philip Glass (electric organ) and Michael Riesman (acoustic piano on Two Pages). Only one copy available.
Atlas Eclipticalis With Winter Music
Featured compositions: "Atlas Eclipticalis' (1961, for chamber ensemble); "Winter Music" (1957, for 3 pianos); "Atlas Eclipitcalis" (1961, for orchestra); "Winter Music" (1957, for 20 pianos). Cage's relationship with the Cornish Institute in Seattle dates back to the 1930s, when he taught there and performed as accompanist for many dance pieces. Cornish was also the scene of several of his musical discoveries and innovations. Cage's celebrated return to the Cornish Institute in 1983 led to thes…
Concert Percussion For Orchestra
Pieces By A. Roldan, L. Harrison, W. Russell, H.Cowell and J. cage, performed by the Mahattan Percussion Ensemble under Paul Price and John Cage. Only one copy available.
Sonatas And Interludes / A Book Of Music
Sonatas And Interludes' for prepared piano (1946-48) performed by Joshua Pierce. 'A Book Of Music' for two prepared pianos (1944) performed by Joshua Pierce (left channel) and Maro Ajemian (right channel). Only one copy available.
Etudes Australes For Piano
Etudes Australes is a set of etudes for piano solo by John Cage, composed in 1974–5 for Grete Sultan. It comprises 32 aleatoric pieces written using star charts as source material. The etudes, conceived as duets for two independent hands, are extremely difficult to play. They were followed by two more collections of similarly difficult works: Freeman Etudes for violin (1977–90) and Etudes Boreales (1978) for cello and/or piano. Only one copy available.