Search - John [1] Cage, Boris Berman :: Cage: Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano

Emminently accessible

Rob Watkins | Augusta, Georgia United States | 06/21/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"john cage, one of the most provocative of the 20th century minimalist composers, gives us a rare glimpse of accessibility. known for incredibly experimental scores and works, including '4:33', a four and a half minute long moment of silence, some of which are harder to appreciate than others, he was also a master pianist, not afraid to tinker with the inner works, exploring just what sort of music 88 keys and a box full of strings might make with a few things added, like nuts and bolts, spoons and forks, just about anything to broaden the aural spectrum of the instrument. the results, as evidenced here, are extraordinary. without clogging up space with cascades of notes, mr. cage paints a canvas at once haunting and captivating. he asserted that this music was as much a spiritual exercise as an artistic one, exploring the tenets of asian religion in sound, and one must confess that this music indeed fosters contemplation. further, modern twelve-tone music is often stereotyped as beep-and-squonk noise, but here is an example of just how beautiful it can be, as well as exemplifying the inherent structure of modernist classical music. this is a great place for someone new to the music to explore. just a note on the performance itself: mr. berman is excellent, capturing not only mr. cage's structural composition, but also the feel. and with naxos' wonderfully low price, this recording recommends itself. enjoy!"

I defer to Mr. White, but I like this disc

Bryan Moore | Jonesboro, AR United States | 04/27/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Edward Wright (see above review) knows more about this stuff than I do. I'm impressed that he has heard not one, not two, not three, but *four* different versions of Cage's Sonatas and Interludes! I thought I was doing great to hear just this one.



I have for a long time been interested in Cage as a sort of iconoclast and philosopher of sorts, so I picked this up at the good old Naxos bargain price, brought it home, listened to the first few pieces, and said, "What is this crap?"



But being no complete musical moron, I figured the idea of the music would grow on me, and grow on me it did. Lately, I want to hear this CD--not my Schubert or Beethoven--all the time. What initially sounded random and chaotic now seems magical. This music is by and large more rhythm and texture based than harmony based. It's tough music. I wonder what Ives would have thought of it (he never heard it, as far as I know).



When I hear Cage, I'm proud to be an American. The same goes for when I hear Ives.



I like this whole CD, but my favorite piece is, now at least, probably the Second Interlude, especially the last minute or so of it. It has a droning, clocklike, dreamy quality to it, but there might also be a little menace there as well, like the soundtrack to a slightly threatening dream. Much of this is, in fact, rather dreamlike.



This CD is positively not conventional Western music. The prepared piano highlights the percussive quality of the instrument (see Sonata 5), and the music seldom repeats itself thematically. It is brimming with ideas, but these are not ideas that everyone will find all that interesting.



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