Cage: Works for Piano and Prepared Piano, Vol.2

The performances on this disc are very well executed. All of the preparations seem to be well done. Unfortunately, the quality of the actual recording is slightly sub-par. The prepared piano sounds are dry and almost toneless. This is most likely due to a poor recording job. The works that don't involve the prepared piano (TV Koeln and Dream) turned out flawlessly. I would still recomend this recording if for nothing else than the only recording of "Mysterious Adventure" which, although drier than intended, is performed with an exquisite touch.

As a fan of progressive rock, I take great enjoyment from exploring a wide variety of experimental music and found my introduction to John Cage to be especially rewarding. Cage was an early composer of what is referred to by musicologists as aleatoric music, which introduces the element of chance into a given composition. Although Cage would flip coins to determine a particular sequence (a binary outcome seems an odd choice), he eventually went so far as to formally model probability in his compositions using more sophisticated approaches including a computer program. I am curious though, as to how he incorporated stochasticity into this computer model, e.g. whim of the performer. It is worth noting however, that the whim of the performer was taken into account without statistical modeling by providing performers with graphics on paper and allowing them to interpret the images and subsequently determine pitch, duration etc.

At any rate, the works generated from 1946-48 are widely seen as Cage's greatest for prepared piano and The Perilous Night (1944) is considered as one of his greatest compositions for prepared piano. Based on what I have read, prepared piano involves placing screws, bolts, strips of rubber, and other objects between the strings of the piano to change the character of the instrument. There are even times when the outside of the piano is played! The resulting sound is extremely percussive and the notes are somewhat damped (they are not very vibrant).

The musicians on this recording (made between 1983 and 1987) include Joshua Pierce (piano/prepared piano); Dorothy Jonas (piano/prepared piano); and Frank Almond (violin). The musicians are all extremely highly trained and are well respected classical performers. Their performances on this recording are breathtaking to say the least.

Many of the pieces on this compilation were composed during the 1944-1948 timeframe, although there is one piece from 1958 (TV Koeln). In large part, the prepared piano compositions are extremely percussive and are almost oriental sounding (somewhat reminiscent of a Balinese gamelan). Melody is absent from this music and the compositions are comprised of noise, which can be either pitched or unpitched, and arranged rhythmically. The one piece that stands out from this approach is Dream (1948), which is the only non-prepared piano piece on the album and consists primarily of a single (and very odd sounding) melody played with the piano soft pedal depressed the whole time, allowing each note to blend in with adjacent notes. The effect is very...well...dreamy.

Well, there you have it. This is very challenging music for serious listeners and I personally found the experience extremely rewarding. I am now on a mission to explore other prepared piano works from the period explored on this album along with his other compositions.

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