Composition / Avant-Garde

Three impressive and highly original avant-garde works for orchestra and ensembles by the unconventional Romanian composer, released by Electrecord in 1977.

Six excellent avant-garde compositions for ensemble, led by Zygmunt Krauze, from the late 1960's by as many Polish experimental composers, released by Muza in 1970.

Two brilliant string quartets composed in the mid-1960's by the four Czech composers, released on Supraphon's Musica Nova Bohemica contemporaru music series in 1972.

1978 2LP box set on EMI with one of the most acclaimed recordings of the monumental 1948 masterpiece for orchestra, ondes martenot, piano and a wild array of percussion. Powerful and marvellous.

Scarce Italian edition on Acanta / Fonit Cetra of the 1975 3LP box set with the full recording of Orff's 1968 powerful piece of music-theatre sung in Greek and with AN extensive array of percussion. With insert.

First album with the full cicle of songs by the outstanding and influential Italian composer sung by their dedicatee, privately recorded in 1969 (featuring Alvin Curran) and 1981 and released by Wergo in 1987.

Majestic fusion of avant-garde and traditional Buddhist chanting and bells, the composer's 1958 cosmic masterpiece released in 1962 on Time's "Series 2000" contemporary music series directed by Earle Brown, with cover by Yoko Ono.

1970 album on RCA which is the best introduction to the Japanese composer's beautiful orchestral music of the 1960's, conducted by Seiji Ozawa. Essential.

Classic 1980 DGG release with two of the Japanese composer's most acclaimed and accessible compositions from the 1970's.

Appropriate pairing of two orchestral avant-garde masterpieces composed in the 1960's on Philip's 1970 LP in the "Collection Trésors Classiques".

Rare 2005 release on Slowscan in an edition of 150 numbered copies (with three cover variations of 50 each) on clear vinyl. It couples a 1961 piece with a 1979 piece by the Japanese Fluxus composer, with an all-star performing group including Takehisa Kosugi, David Tudor, John Cage and Malcom Goldstein!

Rare 2005 release on Slowscan in an edition of 150 numbered copies (with three cover variations of 50 each) on clear vinyl. It couples a 1961 piece with a 1979 piece by the Japanese Fluxus composer, with an all-star performing group including Takehisa Kosugi, David Tudor, John Cage and Malcom Goldstein!

Great 3LP box set with one of the most complete panoramas of experimental piano music of the 20th century, beautifully performed by Aki Takahashi and released on CP² Recordings in 1976. Compositions by Toru Takemitsu, Joji Yuasa, Keijiro Satoh, Yori-Aki Matsudaira, Shuko Mizuno, Toshi Ichiyanagi, Maki Ishii, Shigeaki Saegusa, Jo Kondo, Yuji Takahashi, Anton Webern, Pierre Boulez, Luciano Berio, Iannis Xenakis, Olivier Messiaen, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Sylvano Bussotti, John Cage. With insert.

Four compositions for cello and piano by the four British composers spanning from 1956 to 1971, released on L'Oiseau-Lyre in 1977.

Four avant-garde works for brass band composed in the 1970's and performed by the Grimethorpe Colliery Band conducted by Elgar Howarth, released on Decca's "Headline" contemporary music series in 1977. With insert.

Four solo percussion pieces spanning from the 1950's to the 1970's performed by Tristan Fry and released on Classics For Pleasure in 1975.

Three compositions for tenor and orchestra performed by Peter Pears and the London Sinfonietta conducted by the respective composers, released on Decca's "Headline" contemporary music series in 1974. With insert.

Eleven compositions for the 80th Birthday of Dr. Alfred A. Kalmus by some of the most representative composers of avant-garde (David Bedford, Hugh Wood, Pierre Boulez, Richard Rodney Bennett, Luciano Berio, Cristobal Halffter, Roman Haubenstock-Ramati, Harrison Birtwistle, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Bernard Rands, Henri Pousseur) released on Universal Edition in 1976.

Compositions for string quartet spanning from 1949 to 1965 released on Mainstream's avant-garde series directed by Earle Brown.

Four avant-garde chamber pieces composed between 1921 and 1967 conducted by Gilbert Amy, released on Disques Adès in 1968.

Two quartets composed respectively in 1910 and 1926 superbly performed by Lasalle Quartett and released in DGG's "Alban Berg Edition / Gallery Series" in 1986. With insert.

Four important works for solo instruments (flute, voice, trombone) and for female voice, harp and 2 percussionists, spanning from 1958 to 1966, performed by Cathy Berberian and Vinko Globokar a.o., released on Wergo's great "Studio Reihe Neuer Musik" experimental music series in the 70's. With insert.

1973 recital conducted by the composer himself released in the UK on RCA Red Seal in the same year. With insert.

Several vocal pieces spanning from 1952 to 1972 performed by the London Sinfonietta conducted by the composer himself, released by RCA Red Seal in 1975. With insert.

Two great vocal pieces from the mid-1970's performed by the Swingle Singers conducted by the composer himself and released on Decca's "Headline" contemporary music series in 1976. With insert.

Three orchestral pieces spanning from 1956 to 1973 conducted by the composer himself and by Pierre Boulez, released on RCA Red Seal in 1976.

Full recording released in 1973 as a lavish 3LP box set by RAI Radiotelevisione Italiana of the composer's opera completed in 1968, a summa of his art. With original innersleeves and two booklets.

3LP set with book-like sleeve released on Wergo's great "Studio Reihe Neuer Musik" experimental music series in the mid 1970's with 1971 recordings of several compositions spanning from 1924 to 1957 plus Eisler talking about Hölderlin in 1961.

Three rich orchestral (one with magnetic tape and one plus chorus) compositions from the 1960's released on Wergo's great "Studio Reihe Neuer Musik" experimental music series in the 70's. With insert.

Contemporary brass music by five composers performed by The Brass Ring, released by Crystal Records in 1986.

1971's apocalyptic oratorio for chorus, speaker, tape and grand orchestra backed with 1970's concerto for violin and orchestra, released on Wergo's great "Studio Reihe Neuer Musik" experimental music series in 1973. With insert.

Four 1970's sparse compositions for orchestra, ensembles and piano released on Wergo's great "Studio Reihe Neuer Musik" experimental music series in 1973. With insert (with notes by Peter Michael Hamel).

Two quite astonishing 1970's composition respectively for string quartet and 2 guitars, performed with extremely extended techniques, released by Col Legno in 1986 in a numbered and signed limited edition.

Three superb composition spanning from 1967 to 1976, respectively for clarinet and orchestra, 12 voices and 4 percussionists, grand orchestra, featuring Michael Ranta and Sigfried Fink among the performers, released on Wergo in 1985.

Three timbrally amazing compositions for solo instrument (piano, cello) and string quartet from the late 1960's / early 1970's released by Edition RZ in 1990. With insert.

Two timbrally rich pieces composed in the early 1980's and beautifully performed by the Ensemble Modern conducted by Peter Eötvös, released on Deutsche Harmonia Mundi in 1985.

Three breath-takingly beautiful compositions from the early 1970's released on Decca's "Headline" contemporary music series in 1976. With insert.

1979 recording of Ligeti's only opera composed in 1977, released on Wergo in 1980 and never re-issued either on vinyl or CD. With insert.

1979 recording of Ligeti's only opera composed in 1977, released on Wergo in 1980 and never re-issued either on vinyl or CD. With insert.

Four brilliant compositions from the 1960's for chamber ensembles (and singers) performed by the Ensemble Intercontemporain conducted by Pierre Boulez, released on DGG in 1983.