John Cage - The Choral Works I - Vocal Grup Ars Nova (1998)
EAC RIP | APE + CUE + LOG | COVER+BOOK | RAR FILES (3% recovery)| 188 Mb
Classical | mode 71
EAC RIP | APE + CUE + LOG | COVER+BOOK | RAR FILES (3% recovery)| 188 Mb
Classical | mode 71
The Complete John Cage Edition, Volume 18: The Choral Works 1
Four2 (1990) (6:47)*
Version 1
Living Room Music (1940)
for percussion and speech quartet
I. To Begin (1:14)
II. Story (2:29)
III. Melody (2:24)
IV. End (1:44)
ear for EAR (Antiphonies) (1983) (3:55)*
Version 1
Four2 (1990) (6:54)*
Version 2
Four Solos (1988) (15:00)
Version 2
Five (1988) (4:56)
Version 2
Hymns and Variations (1979) (28:29)
for 12 amplified voices
Hymn I, Hymn II, Variations I-X
Vocal Group Ars Nova
Támas Vetö, conductor
Gert Sorensen, percussion (2, 4, 5)
*First Recording
John Cage, composer of choral music?
Actually, yes. This disc addresses an often neglected side of Cage's output for larger vocal ensembles for the first time. The results vary from Cagean "Happening" theatrical works to eerily plaintive blocks of choral writing, some of which incredibly - by chance - hint at György Ligeti!
Living Room Music, the earliest work on the program, is scored for percussion and speech quartet, though no percussion instruments are used. Rather, Cage indicates that any "household or architectural elements may be used as instruments". The text is taken from Gertrude Stein. The result is an informal music for home entertainment, played for the musicians' own pleasure.
Hymns and Variations is Cage's largest choral work. Starting with two hymns from the colonial American composer William Billings, Cage used a technique of "harmonic subtraction" to produce a sublimely beautiful series of long overlapping tones and empty spaces.
The Solos were originally from Cage's Concert for Piano and Orchestra, later expanded into a large, theatrical series of 96 independent solos which could be performed in whole or in part.
ear for EAR was written for the 10th anniversary of the New Music magazine EAR, written in the antiphonal style of solo statement with choral response.
The remaining late "Number Pieces" here enter a world a calm, simple beauty.
The works are beautifully performed by the Swedish vocal ensemble Ars Nova, who specializes in music by 20th century and Renaissance composers, including collaborations with Paul Hillier. They are conducted here by Tamás Vetö, noted for his extensive repertoire and recognized as an authority on vocal music and as an outstanding interpreter of contemporary music.
download:
part 1
part 2
part 3
In my opinion they are interesting in small doses, but there are numerous composers that are as - if not more - interesting than them.
Someone once complained that the non avant-garde section of classical music was nearly only about Mozart, Bach and alikes. This section is starting to look the same.
Diversity.
In contemporary, avant-garde, neue musik, ...
Anybody can find Cage, Feldman and Stockhausen, Ligeti, Nono anywhere. And in industrial quantities. Hence the comparison with mozart, beethoven, or wagner if you prefer...
For instance, I didn't know Grazyna Bacewicz and really enjoyed her compositions. And I tried to find her string quartets on cd, about 100 euros for one volume, used. That's that kind of stuff I'm talking about.
An example of things that I'd like to see here : Frances-Marie Uitti early works, Works by Friedrich Cerrha, Elliott Sharp, the Donaueschinger Musiktage compilations and other german festivals cds , more cds from Hänssler, more cds from Stradivarius etc...
Edit : I'm certainly not dissing the uploaders' works. I really appreciate the efforts they make.
@groaaar: There are several Sharp, Cerrha, and Uitti CDs readily available just through an elementary search on Amazon. Buy a few and up them here if you want! In fact I myself am interested in checking out Cerrha as well so I encourage you to do this!
Shall we improve diversity to better serve a customer in avant-garde section? I am puzzled why we can't allow worried customer himself/herself to post any diverse stuff if he/she wants to?
I have several Sharp, Cerrha and Uitti cds already.
Actually I was about to start to post some of those but then I noticed that Amazon keeps a list of what you buy. So I call it a quit on my side, sadly. If you want some through PM, you can always ask me, I'll help if I can.
You can post more Cage and Feldman, that's not a problem to me. I just don't see the point of it, since there are dozens and dozens of the same pieces by those composers already uploaded here. Unless we all missed that 476th thrilling, unmissable interpretation of a Feldman's or Cage's special work... Statistically, let me doubt it.
@ v4v
Yes, we should improve diversity. Since I don't have access to a public media library, what am I supposed to do ? That's why I'm asking others, hoping that other people who have better access to rare (and outrageously expensive) cds could do something.
But of course, if you guys are happy listening to always the same things, it's ok to me.
Talking about Mode, I've read in their december newsletter that they have financial problems, and I do buy stuff from them quite often, in order to support.
Strange that Pasha don't blocked you: CioCio posted the same on 18 Mar 2022 ;-)
So groaaar has some reason about "always the same things", but only for "identical" things. Mr. groaaar you seem don't understand the essence of musical avant-garde: "open-source" between composer-interpreter-listener. Find me 2 same "rendering" of "Sonatas & Interludes for prepared piano" or the "4:33" piece...
Finally, Mr. groaaar, it's seem that generosity isn't your strong point: "I have several Sharp, Cerrha and Uitti cds already... but then I noticed that Amazon keeps a list of what you buy". You think that all the disinterested Avax uploaders don't buy anything from the net?
I await your uploads and thanks for that!
acquisti le insostituibili etichette della nostra amata musica: mode, kairos, col legno,
new world, hat art, lovely, stradivarius,wergo, etc.etc.
i miei post servano solo da stimolo alla vostra innata curiosità.
per favore acquistate i cd di queste etichette se potete!
di esse non ne possiamo davvero fare ameno!
possibile?; dove posso farti due domande?)
" Unless we all missed that 476th thrilling, unmissable interpretation of a Feldman's or Cage's
special work... Statistically, let me doubt it. "
IT'S POSSIBLE, and, personally, I'm waiting for the reissue of Prelude for Meditation
(John Cage, Mode) which is currently UNAVAILABLE, unlike any work by Bach or Beethoven -
p.s peace ; )
( performed by the Ensemble Recherche, Montaigne) which is out of print at the present time
- sigh!
but luckily there's internet ( and people can freely share their passion for music ) -
risposta e mi si cancella tutto il messaggio; problemi al pc, penso. Se non vi disturba proverò a
ricontattarvi prima o poi. Qui, stranamente, riesco a postare -
risolvere i miei problemi e chiedo scusa per aver monopolizzato gli ultimi commenti.
sì, infatti non riesco a rispondere alle vostre risposte, resta quanto detto appena sopra
(stavo scrivendo prima del tuo ultimo commento)
Each has his/her own preference, and at the moment, current heroes in this section are too good: quite a few are likely to be holding their fantastic treasures in 320kbps mp3s or without complete scans and hesitate to add them here.
Do you mind if such recordings are uploaded in the future?