John Cage
American composer, philosopher, writer and printmaker. He was educated in California and then made a study tour of Europe (1930-31), concentrating on art, architecture and music. On his return to the USA he studied music with Richard Buhlig, Adolph Weiss, Henry Cowell and Arnold Schoenberg; in 1934 he abandoned abstract painting for music. An interest in extending the existing range of percussion instruments led him, in 1940, to devise the 'prepared piano' (in which the sound is transformed by the insertion of various objects between the strings) and to pioneer electronic sound sources.
American composer, philosopher, writer and printmaker. He was educated in California and then made a study tour of Europe (1930-31), concentrating on art, architecture and music. On his return to the USA he studied music with Richard Buhlig, Adolph Weiss, Henry Cowell and Arnold Schoenberg; in 1934 he abandoned abstract painting for music. An interest in extending the existing range of percussion instruments led him, in 1940, to devise the 'prepared piano' (in which the sound is transformed by the insertion of various objects between the strings) and to pioneer electronic sound sources.
John Cage Shock Vol. 2
Volume 2 in EM Records' John Cage Shock series lifts off with a fiery example of David Tudor's piano virtuosity, his mastery of dynamics well-evident in a performance of Klavierstücke X (1961) by Karlheinz Stockhausen. The titular shock of this series is delivered even more forcefully with the next piece, John Cage's 26'55.988" for 2 Pianists and a String Player (1961), which was first performed the year before in Darmstadt by Tudor and Kenji Kobayashi, a combination of two of Cage's solo piece…
John Cage Shock Vol. 3
The final CD of the John Cage Shock series features John Cage's 0'00" (1962), also referred to as 4'33" No. 2, performed by the composer, with daily activities such as writing and drinking coffee amplified by contact microphones into sonic abstraction, following the score's directions: "with maximum amplification (no feedback), perform a disciplined action." Next is Composition II for 2 Pianos (1960/1961) by Michael von Biel, lovely and sparse, performed by David Tudor and Toshi Ichiyanagi. …
John Cage Shock Vol. 1
In October 1962, John Cage and his great interpreter/co-visionary David Tudor visited Japan, performing seven concerts and exposing listeners to new musical worlds. This legendary "John Cage Shock," as it was dubbed by the critic Hidekazu Yoshida, is the source of this series of releases -- three CDs and a "best hits" double LP compilation. Recorded primarily at the Sogetsu Art Center in Tokyo on October 24, 1962 (with two performances from October 17 at Mido-Kaikan in Osaka), all recordin…
Shock
Special 2LP version of EM Records' John Cage Shock series, compiled from the three CD releases. Featured works: 26'55.988" for 2 Pianists and a String Player, Piano Music #7, 0'00", Variations II. Performers include: David Tudor, Toshi Ichiyanagi, Kenji Kobayashi, Yoko Ono and John Cage. Includes rare photos and liner notes in Japanese and English, plus commentary by Toshi Ichiyanagi. In October 1962 John Cage and his great interpreter/co-visionary David Tudor visited Japan, performing seven …
Empty Words (Part III)
When John Cage took to the stage at Milan’s Teatro Lirico on 2 December 1977 to read from a portion of his not yet published book, Empty Words, little did he know that he was about to incite one of the great art riots of the twentieth century! As Cage reads aloud in what sounds like a nonsensical language (the result of using the I-Ching to extract a series of sounds and syllables from the Journal of Henry David Thoreau), the Italian audience (many of whom did not really know who Cage was …
Cheap imitation
Recorded at Mills College in Oakland, CA in March 1976, this LP represents one of the very few examples of John Cage performing his own work. Actually written in 1969, Cheap Imitation, composed for solo piano, is based on Erik Satie’s symphonic drama “Socrate”. An example of one of Cage’s indeterminate pieces, here Satie’s “Socrate” undergoes a series of variations based on the random extraction of hexagrams from the I-Ching. Inside pocket gatefold sleeve with liner notes.
The Number Pieces 6
New York based ensemble Essential Music had a strong relationship with John Cage in his later years. This experience gives these recordings a special authority. Recorded in 1993-94, they are being released for the first time. In 1987 John Cage began writing his “number” and “time-bracket” compositions, which became his primary compositional method for the remainder of his life. These works are named for the number of musicians participating, consist of the number of parts with no com…
Trombone & Piano
Recorded June 26, 2007, Fürstliche Reitbahn Bad Arolsen.Mike Svoboda, TromboneSteffen Shleiermacher, Piano |D|D|D|
Voice & Piano
Anna Clementi, voiceSteffen Schleiermacher, piano "This compact disc brings together all the pieces for voice and piano published by Cage with the exception of the two early song cycles Twenty Years After (after texts by Gertrude Stein, 1933) and Five Songs for Contralto with Piano Accompaniment (after texts by e. e. cummings, 1983)." |D|D|D|
Freeman Etudes - Books 1&2
Amazing CD of Cage's Freeman Etudes with the amazing performance of Marco Fusi.
Prove di Empty Words, Milano, Teatro Lirico 1977
A very special Die Schachtel art edition, a fine art print on Baryta FB, Hahnemühle, sized cm. 30 x 40 in edition of 15 copies, numbered and signed by the author. Photo taken during the rehearsal of "Empty Words", a Cage's milestone performance which took place at Teatro Lirico in Milan on December 2nd, 1977. The composer sitting at a small school desk, reading words and phonemes taken from diary of H.D.T. with the help of a small light. Empty Words is a long text derived from the journals of H…
Violin & Piano
Recorded October 1, 2008 at Ehemaliges Ackerhaus der Abtei Marienmünster. |D|D|D|
Complete Piano Music Vol. 10 - Etcetera
“The interpreter is a very important person indeed in Cage’s piano music, and a top international expert like Steffen Schleiermacher is a must for a complete recording such as this one: he knows the nuts and bolts and all the fine nuances.”
Complete Piano Music Vol. 9 - Etudes Australes Book I-IV
“The interpreter is a very important person indeed in Cage’s piano music, and a top international expert like Steffen Schleiermacher is a must for a complete recording such as this one: he knows the nuts and bolts and all the fine nuances.”
Silenzio
*Italian language edition* This volume presents fully translated into Italian the landmark texts of the post-World War II musical avant-garde. Master John Cage revolutionized the traditional and academic concept of music and pushed into new frontiers of sound experimentation by applying the method of composition through consultation of the I Ching. And without forgetting to fascinate the reader with the narration of episodes from his life, which rise to the role of Zen parables.
Complete Piano Music Vol. 8 - Hommage à Satie
“The interpreter is a very important person indeed in Cage’s piano music, and a top international expert like Steffen Schleiermacher is a must for a complete recording such as this one: he knows the nuts and bolts and all the fine nuances.”
Complete Piano Music Vol. 7 - Pieces 1933-1950
“The interpreter is a very important person indeed in Cage’s piano music, and a top international expert like Steffen Schleiermacher is a must for a complete recording such as this one: he knows the nuts and bolts and all the fine nuances.”
Complete Piano Music Vol. 6 - Pieces 1960-1992)
Recording: February, 21-24, 2000, Fürstliche Reitbahn Bad Arolsen 28-page booklet includes text in English, French and German “The interpreter is a very important person indeed in Cage’s piano music, and a top international expert like Steffen Schleiermacher is a must for a complete recording such as this one: he knows the nuts and bolts and all the fine nuances.”
Complete Piano Music Vol. 5 - Two pianos
Pianists: Josef Christof and Steffen Schleiermacher “The interpreter is a very important person indeed in Cage’s piano music, and a top international expert like Steffen Schleiermacher is a must for a complete recording such as this one: he knows the nuts and bolts and all the fine nuances.”
Complete Piano Music Vol. 4 - Pieces 1950-1960
“The interpreter is a very important person indeed in Cage’s piano music, and a top international expert like Steffen Schleiermacher is a must for a complete recording such as this one: he knows the nuts and bolts and all the fine nuances.”