Record Reviews

VARIOUS ARTISTS ~ JOHN CAGE: FOUR WALLS BRILLIANT CLASSICS 5029365885027 (Barcode: 5029365885027) ~ ITALY ~ Classical Music Recorded: 2007 Released: 2007 This is a 3CD album presenting music by the great 20th Century American composer John CageFind albums by this artist. Subtitled “Complete works for piano & voice / Complete works for piano & violin”, the music is performed by Italian pianist Giancarlo SimonacciFind albums by this artist, violinist David SimonacciFind albums by this artist, British soprano singer Lorna WindsorFind albums by this artist and the Italian Ars LudiFind albums by this artist percussion ensemble. They perform fifteen compositions (a total of fifty-four tracks) by Cage, mostly written in his early years between early 1930s and early 1950s, with just two pieces composed in the early 1990s shortly before his death. Cage’s convoluted life story and work history is a fascinating tale of the Avant-Garde Classical music of the 20th Century. Although influenced by the European Avant-Gardists, like Arnold SchoenbergFind albums by this artist, Olivier MessiaenFind albums by this artist or Pierre BoulezFind albums by this artist, Cage developed his unique approach to composition, which constantly developed and changed during his entire lifespan and which was completely American, like that of his close friend / composer Morton FeldmanFind albums by this artist. While famous as the composer of the controversial piece “4`33``”, most of his music remains mostly overlooked and relatively rarely performed, which is a great shame. Quite unexpectedly, despite the Avant-Garde phobia, which surrounds his music, everything one can hear in this wonderful collection is surprisingly “polite”, melodic, serene and overall beautiful. It is of course minimalist and requires patience and open-mindedness, but which great music doesn’t? Overall, this is an astounding musical experience, which I highly recommend to anybody, who gets bored and tired of the garbage that gets stuck in our ears constantly, even if we try to avoid it. Listening to this music is a healing / cleansing experience, which penetrates both the heart and soul. Essential listening!

Updated: 01/06/2026Posted: 01/06/2026

CD 3 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

JOHN ZORN ~ COBRA HATOLOGY 580 (Barcode: 752156058021) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1985 - 1986 Released: 2002 This is a long overdue reissue of the legendary album by American musician / composer / bandleader John ZornFind albums by this artist, one of the most iconic figures of the late 20th Century Avant-Garde and music experimentation scenes. "CobraFind albums with this title" is one of the earlier monumental works by Zorn, which established him as a member of the "major" league of contemporary composers, such as Morton FeldmanFind albums by this artist, Frederic RzewskiFind albums by this artist, Karlheinz StockhausenFind albums by this artist and other icons of the "new" serious contemporary music. Many of the compositional devices used by his contemporaries are present here, as the music is basically a freely improvised collage of sounds made by electronic, electric and acoustic instruments and human voices. In places it is similar to musique concrète, in others to an ambient soundtrack, and so on, changing constantly. However, what sets it apart from most Avant-Garde music is an intrinsic connection to Jazz and Rock, evident clearly at places, especially in phrases played by the electric guitars (played by Bill FrisellFind albums by this artist, Arto LindseyFind albums by this artist and Elliott SharpFind albums by this artist. This album includes two quite different versions of the music, the earlier one recorded live and the slightly later one recorded in the studio. It´s fascinating to compare the two, as they are truly revealing as to the process of music creation in an improvised environment. This is not an easy listening experience and it was never intended to be one – total open-mindedness is absolutely required, but the intellectual reward is exhilarating and elating. Come on you brave-hearted…

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted:

CD 2 Digisleeve Oversampling Remastered Recommend To A Friend