John Cage recordings

[7/4]

What's you favorite or most interesting John Cage recordings?

I don't have a big Cage collection, but I've been listening to Louis Goldsteins Sonatas and Interludes/Dream quite a bit.

[Joda]

I really like this LP, because it's a live recording with interesting use of electronics and it's played by Cage and Tudor. I found this volume (of the two released) in the 'free jazz' section of a local record shop a few years ago.

"In 1964 John Cage and David Tudor set up shop in Los Angeles' Feigen-Palmer Gallery, equipping two rooms with complete sound systems (recording and mixing equipment, numerous radios, tape players and record decks to be used by carefully supervised operators) and placing microphones strategically inside and outside the building (one was suspended above the bar, another out in the street to catch the passing traffic), before embarking on a monumental six-hour performance of Cage's "Variations IV," excerpts from which were edited and mixed down to stereo for Everest, resulting in an album that proved so scandalously successful that a second volume was subsequently released. (…)"

[Dan Warburton]

Wergo WER 60074 (LP)

John Cage - Sonata XIII - Music for Marcel Duchamp - Song Books I-II - Empty Words III

Side A:
1. Sonata XIII for prepared piano (1946-48) 3:40
2. Music for Marcel Duchamp (1951*) 5:37
3. Simultaneous performance of Song Books I-II & Empty Words III (1970-72* / 1974-75) 13:03

Side B:
1. Continuation of Song Books I-II & Empty Words III (1970-72* / 1974-75) 20:20

Peter Roggenkamp, prepared piano (1,2); Schola Cantorum Stuttgart. Clytus Gottwald, leader. John Cage, voice (3,4)

Analog recording: Süddeutscher Rundfunk, Stuttgart/ A3 and B1 recorded in concert, Stuttgart, June 6, 1975
LP released in 1976. Currently available on CD Wergo WER 6074-2

[J.F.]

Cage was the starting point for me to check out 20th century classical music. In the first place I was extremely fascinated by that guy and certain philosophical background-stuff (or what I made out of that) of his work. Cage and Beuys were a perfect pair in my world view for a few years.

After all that led me to buy loads of Cage-CDs (and a few LPs), and he's by far the composer I have the most recordings of in my stacks (the list of Cage-works in my database is obscenely long).

What's left several years later for me personally is the impression that half of that music is not particularly impressive (if not downright boring), and I see only relatively few highlights - considering the complete amount of the output.

my favorite CDs are (sometimes for only one or two outstanding tracks):
- Wergo-collection of works for prepared piano (I believe vol.4... the one with "Three Dances")
- chamber music collection on MDG (incl. the early "String Quartet")
- "Music for Five" (I believe...) on HatArt - incl. a simultaneous version of some 50's time-length-pieces
- "Singing through..." by Joan LaBarbara
- "Thirty Pieces for Five Orchestras" on I believe Hungaroton
- I enjoy listening to Arditti's "Freeman Etudes"-recordings (eh... on Mode or Montaigne)

When it comes to the late number pieces: I myself took part in a (local) CD-production of "Thirteen" under Manfred Reichert, on marimba (bowed as often as possible) but the version he recorded with his Ensemble 13 (for CPO) is so much better! By far my favorite number piece-recording!

sorry I can't be more specific about the CD-dates... but they still are all in boxes


I'd like to add that most realisations of his several "Variations" bore me to tears. Same with "Catridge Music" and similar open works.

After all, I prefer listening to "pitch-based Cage".

[javier4w]

My ten favourite Cage recordings in rough order of preference:
- One7 (from One13)/One8 (OgreOgress) - Player unknown
- The Number Pieces 2: Five3 (Mode) - Monique Buzzarté/Arditti String Quartet
- One4/Four/Twenty-Nine (OgreOgress) - Glenn Freeman/Christina Fong/Karen Krummel/Michael Crawford
- The Works for Violin 4 (Mode) - Irvine Arditti/Stephen Drury
- Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano (Explore) - John Tilbury
- Works for Cello (Etcetera) - Frances-Marie Uitti
- Two/Five/Seven (Hat Hut) - Ives Ensemble
- Four Walls (Tomato) - Richard Bunger/Ray Clayton
- The Number Pieces 1: Four3/One5/Two6 (Mode) - Ami Flammer/Martine Joste/Dominique Alchouroun/Jean Michaut
- Ten/Ryoanji/Fourteen (Hat Hut) - Ives Ensemble

[labrat]

Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano - John Tilbury is sublime

[Dan Warburton]

There's a snatch of Tilbury performing this in Peter Greenaway's documentary on Cage, part of the Four American Composers series - along with Glass, Monk (Meredith not Thelonious!) and Ashley - just released on DVD (les films du paradoxe). You'll also spot Eddie Prévost and Keith Rowe amongst the performers. Much more fun than the Henning Lohner Revenge of the Dead Indians Cage tribute pic on Mode, which has also just appeared. (Reviews forthcoming elsewhere).
Choosing one Cage record is a bit daft though - there are so many fine ones (and plenty of awful ones) to choose from. I suppose the 1958 25th anniversary concert should be on everyone's shelves, for historical interest, but I chose that old Wergo LP because Cage's reading of the Thoreau mesostics and the choir and birdsong behind is just ravishingly beautiful.

[c_sns]

There's a snatch of Tilbury performing this in Peter Greenaway's documentary on Cage, part of the Four American Composers series - along with Glass, Monk (Meredith not Thelonious!) and Ashley - just released on DVD (les films du paradoxe). You'll also spot Eddie Prévost and Keith Rowe amongst the performers.

this can be viewed here:

http://www.ubu.com/film/cage_greenaway.html" onclick= "window.open(this.href);return false;

[7/4]

Choosing one Cage record is a bit daft though - there are so many fine ones (and plenty of awful ones) to choose from.

Excellent point. I changed the question.

I suppose the 1958 25th anniversary concert should be on everyone's shelves, for historical interest, but I chose that old Wergo LP because Cage's reading of the Thoreau mesostics and the choir and birdsong behind is just ravishingly beautiful.

That maybe the first one I bought, a great introduction.

[jkudler]

for what it's worth, i saw that my local video store (do people still say "video store"?) has not one but two new cage dvd's. on is a performance of variations vii:
http://www.microcinemadvd.com/product/D ... _Cage.html" onclick= "window.open(this.href);return false;

and then this:
http://www.moderecords.com/catalog/197cage.html" onclick= "window.open(this.href);return false;

which maybe i will grab next time.

-j.

[bedouin]

and then this:
http://www.moderecords.com/catalog/197cage.html

which maybe i will grab next time.

-j.

Chomsky on Cage, that would be interesting...


I'd thoroughly recommend the Barton Workshop Plays John Cage. A 3-disc set that covers a wide range of Cage's compositional work. Though, maybe, the variations between tracks are too wide to make it a meditative listen, the longer tracks (Atlas Eclipticalis, Hymnkus, Music for 6, and Seven) are really good.

[Dan Warburton]

and then this:
http://www.moderecords.com/catalog/197cage.html

which maybe i will grab next time.

-j.

Chomsky on Cage, that would be interesting...

I'm seriously disappointed with the Mode DVD. There's more to Cage than a collection of flashy soundbites. But you make up your own mind. If you make it to the end of the disc without wanting to murder Rutger Hauer (not to mention Dennis Hopper and that well-known Cage scholar Matt Groening) let me know.

I'd thoroughly recommend the Barton Workshop Plays John Cage. A 3-disc set that covers a wide range of Cage's compositional work. Though, maybe, the variations between tracks are too wide to make it a meditative listen, the longer tracks (Atlas Eclipticalis, Hymnkus, Music for 6, and Seven) are really good.

Yes, big fan of the Barton Workshop.

[Dohol]

Via Ubu..


http://www.ubu.com/film/cage_greenaway.html

I have less than mixed feelings about Greenways Four American Composers..
Meredith Monk..Nah. Phillip Glass...definitely not. Ashley..sometimes..


But I do dig Cage..

[jkudler]

Via Ubu..


http://www.ubu.com/film/cage_greenaway.html

ian posted that up the thread.. .

I have less than mixed feelings about Greenways Four American Composers..
Meredith Monk..Nah. Phillip Glass...definitely not. Ashley..sometimes..

meaning the composers themselves, or the movies? i had a comment about the composers i just erased - i assume you mean the films. . .?

-jesse

[Dohol]

Via Ubu..


http://www.ubu.com/film/cage_greenaway.html

ian posted that up the thread.. .

I have less than mixed feelings about Greenways Four American Composers..
Meredith Monk..Nah. Phillip Glass...definitely not. Ashley..sometimes..

meaning the composers themselves, or the movies? i had a comment about the composers i just erased - i assume you mean the films. . .?

-jesse

Jesse...I guess I mean the composers..The films are actually all quite good. I'm afraid I have strong opinions on Glass...Monk and Ashley less so.

[Dan Warburton]

Agree with that. Finished reviewing these discs yesterday.

[simon reynell]

Cage was a massive figure for me, both as a composer and as a theorist ('Silence' is still a great pleasure to read).
Two periods of his music that I particularly like are: (1) many of his works shortly after he began using indeterminacy as a principle for composition, from roughly 1952-1960, including Atlas Eclipticalis, Winter Music, the Concert for Piano and Orchestra, & Cartridge Music
(2) his very late works, especially the Number Pieces, approx 1988-1992

As for recordings, these vary hugely in quality. This is obviously partly because so many of his scores leave the interpreter(s) so much freedom. But particular favourites for me are:
Winter Music, version for 4 pianists [hat-art]
David Tudor's realisation of Solo for Piano [ear-rational]
Mario Bertoncini's realisation of Cartridge Music [edition rz, LP]
Steffen Schleiermacher's version of Music for Piano [mdg]
Ryoanji (version for 6 soloists) [hat-art]
Fourteen (Stephen Drury & Callithumpian Consort) [mode]
One (8) for cello played by Julius Berger [wergo]
One (5) for piano played by Stephen Drury [mode]
Two (5) played by James Fulkerson & Frank Denyer [etcetera]
One (9) with 108 Mayumi Miyata & WDR Sinfonieorchester [mode]

[grisha]

i really like Roaratorio. i have the version on Wergo, which was recorded at Westdeutscher Rundfunk. i know there is another one, recorded at IRCAM, on Mode, which i never heard.

[J.F.]

The "music circus" thing is an aspect I usually enjoy as well in Cage's output.

I like quite a bit "HPSCHD" (a collaboration with Lejaren Hiller) and what I heard of those "Europeras" which use larger ensembles (if I remember right, that was numbers 1 & 3)

I don't like "Apartment House 1776" that much, but remember it is paired with my favorite version of Ryoanji on this CD.

[joeperucki]

So what is the "definitive" version of Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano?
I have a Wergo CD (Joshua Pierce), CRI CD (Maro Ajemian), and while listening to Sonata XVI by John Tilbury from Audition Show 31 I was too curious.