John Cage, Joshua Pierce - Works For Piano & Prepared Piano (1943-1952)

WERGO - LP

Germany, 1986

Classical / Contemporary

Perhaps the most intimidating composer that ever was, I'd feel like I'd fulfill a civil duty if I could - even only slightly - demystify the work of John Cage, and reclaim a figure that has been cornered by the international art world. I can't think of a better introduction than this record.

The first in a splendid series on Wergo dedicated to the American composer (mostly released on CD though), this volume I of works for piano & prepared piano by Joshua Pierce offers clear and precise interpretations that fully render the intuitiveness of Cage's music. It features some of its most immediately spellbinding pieces, taken from a relatively early body of work written for the piano between 1943 and 1952 (just before Cage started using chance has a compositional principle), and includes the ultimate key, the one piece that opened the Cage world for me: the simple, hushed and hauntingly lyrical 1948 "In A Landscape". 

But more importantly, these crystal-clear recordings give a striking testimony of the balance principles that govern the work of John Cage - which, taken as a whole, is one of the most important artistic experiments in equilibrium and stillness of the 20th Century. Cage music reveals the empty core of a century surfaced with fiery rage and mass destruction. (VG+/VG+)