Notes and Editorial Reviews
Steffen Schleiermacher's monumental traversal of the complete piano music of John Cage will be essential for the collection of any fan of the composer's, unless he or she has already purchased the previously released ten volumes (a total of 18 discs) that are boxed together here and reissued in recognition of the composer's 100th anniversary in 2012. The 20-hour compilation is a testimony to Cage's hugely prolific output, and certainly constitutes one of the most significant collections of keyboard music of the 20th century. There could hardly be a more sympathetic and skillful interpreter of Cage's oeuvre than German pianist/composer Steffen Schleiermacher. Much of the music was derived from chance and other pre-compositional procedures,
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and in an indifferent performance can sound random and meandering, but Schleiermacher consistently brings an acute sensitivity, intelligence, and sense of direction to the scores. Cage often allows extraordinary freedom to the performer; in some cases, as in Music for Piano 21-52, he offers only written instructions outlining certain procedures and parameters that require the performer to write the music him/herself. The marvel of Schleiermacher's performances is the consistency with which he takes advantage of the composer's assumption that the pianist will use the sometimes-skeletal notation to personally discover and convey meaning and beauty in the music's execution.
A few of Cage's piano works, such as Music of Changes, Sonatas and Interludes for prepared piano, and Études australes, fall within, or at least on the fringe of, the standard repertoire of the avant-garde, but these pieces are unlikely to be familiar to any but the most ardent devotee. Volume 10, in fact, includes several works discovered by Schleiermacher that are recorded for the first time. The density of some of the music, to say nothing of the length of the set, makes it unlikely that the listener will want to listen straight through, but there is plenty of variety in the selections. Some discs are devoted to solo piano, but some use the opened-up aural spectrum of the prepared piano, and there are works for piano ensembles, the largest of which uses ten of the instruments. In some of the pieces, the performer is also called on to play other instruments, including radios, whistles, sticks, playing cards, and assorted percussion. Each of the ten volumes is logically arranged to cover a theme or chronological period. MDG's unprocessed sound is characteristically first-rate -- clean and detailed, but warmly resonant -- but the recordings were made over a period of years, between 1997 and 2002, so there is some variety in ambience.
-- Stephen Eddins, All Music Guide
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Works on This Recording
1.
Bacchanale by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Prepared Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1940; USA
Date of Recording: 12/1996
Venue: Royal Riding School, Arolsen, Germany
Length: 7 Minutes 54 Secs.
2.
Totem Ancestor for Prepared Piano by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Prepared Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1943; USA
Date of Recording: 12/1996
Venue: Royal Riding School, Arolsen, Germany
Length: 2 Minutes 6 Secs.
3.
And the Earth Shall Bear Again for Prepared Piano by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Prepared Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1942; USA
Date of Recording: 12/1996
Venue: Royal Riding School, Arolsen, Germany
Length: 3 Minutes 16 Secs.
4.
Primitive for Prepared Piano by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Prepared Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1942; USA
Date of Recording: 12/1996
Venue: Royal Riding School, Arolsen, Germany
Length: 4 Minutes 3 Secs.
5.
In the Name of the Holocaust by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Prepared Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1942; USA
Date of Recording: 12/1996
Venue: Royal Riding School, Arolsen, Germany
Length: 6 Minutes 15 Secs.
6.
Our Spring Will Come by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Prepared Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1948; USA
Date of Recording: 12/1996
Venue: Royal Riding School, Arolsen, Germany
Length: 4 Minutes 34 Secs.
7.
A Room by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Prepared Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1943; USA
Date of Recording: 12/1996
Venue: Royal Riding School, Arolsen, Germany
Length: 2 Minutes 26 Secs.
8.
The Perilous Night for Prepared Piano by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Prepared Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1944; USA
Date of Recording: 12/1996
Venue: Royal Riding School, Arolsen, Germany
Length: 13 Minutes 38 Secs.
9.
Root of an Unfocus for Prepared Piano by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Prepared Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1944; USA
Date of Recording: 12/1996
Venue: Royal Riding School, Arolsen, Germany
Length: 5 Minutes 1 Secs.
10.
The Unavailable Memory Of by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Prepared Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1944; USA
Date of Recording: 12/1996
Venue: Royal Riding School, Arolsen, Germany
Length: 2 Minutes 11 Secs.
11.
Spontaneous Earth by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Prepared Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1944; USA
Date of Recording: 12/1996
Venue: Royal Riding School, Arolsen, Germany
Length: 3 Minutes 5 Secs.
12.
Triple Paced by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Prepared Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1943/1944; USA
Date of Recording: 12/1996
Venue: Royal Riding School, Arolsen, Germany
Length: 2 Minutes 26 Secs.
13.
A Valentine Out of Season for Prepared Piano by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Prepared Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1944; USA
Date of Recording: 12/1996
Venue: Royal Riding School, Arolsen, Germany
Length: 4 Minutes 59 Secs.
14.
Prelude for Meditation for Prepared Piano by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Prepared Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1944; USA
Date of Recording: 12/1996
Venue: Royal Riding School, Arolsen, Germany
Length: 1 Minutes 10 Secs.
15.
Mysterious Adventure for Prepared Piano by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Prepared Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1945; USA
Date of Recording: 12/1996
Venue: Royal Riding School, Arolsen, Germany
Length: 8 Minutes 57 Secs.
16.
Daughters of the Lonesome Isle by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Prepared Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1945; USA
Date of Recording: 12/1996
Venue: Royal Riding School, Arolsen, Germany
Length: 9 Minutes 24 Secs.
17.
Music for Marcel Duchamp by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Prepared Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1947; USA
Date of Recording: 12/1996
Venue: Royal Riding School, Arolsen, Germany
Length: 5 Minutes 45 Secs.
18.
Pastorales (2) for Prepared Piano by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Prepared Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1951; USA
Date of Recording: 12/1996
Venue: Royal Riding School, Arolsen, Germany
Length: 13 Minutes 51 Secs.
19.
Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Prepared Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1946-1948; USA
Date of Recording: 12/1996
Venue: Royal Riding School, Arolsen, Germany
Length: 65 Minutes 22 Secs.
20.
Tossed as it is Untroubled for Prepared Piano "Meditation" by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Prepared Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1943; USA
Date of Recording: 12/1996
Venue: Royal Riding School, Arolsen, Germany
Length: 2 Minutes 36 Secs.
21.
Music for... by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1984-1988; USA
Date of Recording: 12/1996
Venue: Royal Riding School, Arolsen, Germany
22.
Music for Piano 1 by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1952; USA
Date of Recording: 12/1996
Venue: Royal Riding School, Arolsen, Germany
23.
Music for Piano 2 by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1953; USA
Date of Recording: 12/1996
Venue: Royal Riding School, Arolsen, Germany
24.
Music for Piano 3 by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1953; USA
Date of Recording: 12/1996
Venue: Royal Riding School, Arolsen, Germany
25.
Music for Piano 4-19 by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1953; USA
Date of Recording: 12/1996
Venue: Royal Riding School, Arolsen, Germany
26.
Music for Piano 20 by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1953; USA
Date of Recording: 12/1996
Venue: Royal Riding School, Arolsen, Germany
27.
Music for Piano 21-52 by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1955; USA
Date of Recording: 12/1996
Venue: Royal Riding School, Arolsen, Germany
28.
Music for Piano 53-68 by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1956; USA
Date of Recording: 12/1996
Venue: Royal Riding School, Arolsen, Germany
29.
Music for Piano 69-84 by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1956; USA
Date of Recording: 12/1996
Venue: Royal Riding School, Arolsen, Germany
30.
Music for Piano 85 by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1962; USA
Date of Recording: 12/1996
Venue: Royal Riding School, Arolsen, Germany
31.
Electronic Music for 2 Pianos by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1964; USA
Date of Recording: 12/1996
Venue: Royal Riding School, Arolsen, Germany
32.
Music of Changes by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1951; USA
Date of Recording: 10/1997
Venue: Fürstliche Reitbahn, Arolsen, Germany
Length: 54 Minutes 40 Secs.
33.
Waiting for Piano by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1952; USA
Date of Recording: 1998-99
Venue: Royal Riding School, Arolsen, Germany
Length: 3 Minutes 26 Secs.
34.
Five Haiku by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: USA
Date of Recording: 1998-99
Venue: Royal Riding School, Arolsen, Germany
Length: 4 Minutes 54 Secs.
35.
Seven Haiku by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1952; USA
Date of Recording: 1998-99
Venue: Royal Riding School, Arolsen, Germany
Length: 2 Minutes 48 Secs.
36.
For MC and DT by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1952; USA
Date of Recording: 1998-99
Venue: Royal Riding School, Arolsen, Germany
Length: 1 Minutes 23 Secs.
37.
Water Music by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1952; USA
Date of Recording: 02/08/1998
Venue: Royal Riding School, Arolsen, Germany
Length: 6 Minutes 47 Secs.
38.
Winter music for 1-20 Pianos by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano),
Steffen Schleiermacher (Tapes)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1957; USA
Date of Recording: 1998-99
Venue: Royal Riding School, Arolsen, Germany
Length: 15 Minutes 1 Secs.
39.
Music Walk by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Tapes),
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1958; USA
Date of Recording: 1998-99
Venue: Royal Riding School, Arolsen, Germany
Length: 9 Minutes 3 Secs.
40.
34'46.776" by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1954; USA
Date of Recording: 1998-99
Venue: Royal Riding School, Arolsen, Germany
Length: 34 Minutes 50 Secs.
41.
For Paul Taylor and Anita Dencks by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Tapes),
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1957; USA
Date of Recording: 1998-99
Venue: Royal Riding School, Arolsen, Germany
Length: 3 Minutes 2 Secs.
42.
TV Köln for Piano by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano),
Steffen Schleiermacher (Tapes)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1958; USA
Date of Recording: 1998-99
Venue: Royal Riding School, Arolsen, Germany
Length: 1 Minutes 6 Secs.
43.
Solo for Piano by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Tapes),
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1958; USA
Date of Recording: 1998-99
Venue: Royal Riding School, Arolsen, Germany
Length: 33 Minutes 48 Secs.
44.
A Book of Music for 2 Prepared Pianos by John Cage
Performer:
Josef Christof (Prepared Piano),
Steffen Schleiermacher (Prepared Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1944; USA
Date of Recording: 04/1999
Venue: Royal Riding School, Arolsen, Germany
Length: 34 Minutes 56 Secs.
45.
Experiences by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano),
Josef Christof (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1945; USA
Date of Recording: 04/1999
Venue: Royal Riding School, Arolsen, Germany
Length: 3 Minutes 10 Secs.
46.
Music for... by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano),
Josef Christof (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1984-1988; USA
Date of Recording: 04/1999
Venue: Royal Riding School, Arolsen, Germany
Length: 29 Minutes 42 Secs.
47.
Two for 2 Pianos by John Cage
Performer:
Josef Christof (Piano),
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1989
Date of Recording: 04/1999
Venue: Royal Riding School, Arolsen, Germany
Length: 46 Minutes 23 Secs.
48.
Dances (3) for 2 Prepared Pianos by John Cage
Performer:
Josef Christof (Prepared Piano),
Steffen Schleiermacher (Prepared Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1945; USA
Date of Recording: 04/1999
Venue: Royal Riding School, Arolsen, Germany
Length: 24 Minutes 30 Secs.
49.
One 2 by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1989; USA
Date of Recording: 02/2000
Venue: Royal Riding School, Bad Arolsen
Length: 24 Minutes 29 Secs.
50.
One by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1990; USA
Date of Recording: 02/2000
Venue: Royal Riding School, Bad Arolsen
Length: 10 Minutes 4 Secs.
51.
Etudes boreales by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1978; USA
Date of Recording: 02/2000
Venue: Royal Riding School, Bad Arolsen
Length: 23 Minutes 47 Secs.
52.
ASLSP by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1985; USA
Date of Recording: 02/2000
Venue: Royal Riding School, Bad Arolsen
Length: 16 Minutes 45 Secs.
53.
One 5 by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1990; USA
Date of Recording: 02/2000
Venue: Royal Riding School, Bad Arolsen
Length: 20 Minutes 13 Secs.
54.
The Beatles 1962-70 by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1989; USA
Date of Recording: 02/2000
Venue: Royal Riding School, Bad Arolsen
Length: 8 Minutes 2 Secs.
55.
Ophelia by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1946; USA
Date of Recording: 03/2000
Venue: Fürstliche Reitbahn Bad Arolsen
Length: 8 Minutes 0 Secs.
56.
The Seasons by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1947; USA
Date of Recording: 03/2000
Venue: Fürstliche Reitbahn Bad Arolsen
Length: 16 Minutes 6 Secs.
57.
Jazz Study by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: circa 1942
Date of Recording: 03/2000
Venue: Fürstliche Reitbahn Bad Arolsen
Length: 2 Minutes 52 Secs.
58.
Metamorphosis for Prepared Piano by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1938; USA
Date of Recording: 03/2000
Venue: Fürstliche Reitbahn Bad Arolsen
Length: 15 Minutes 39 Secs.
59.
Quest: 2nd movement by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1935; USA
Date of Recording: 03/2000
Venue: Fürstliche Reitbahn Bad Arolsen
Length: 1 Minutes 29 Secs.
60.
A Room by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1943; USA
Date of Recording: 03/2000
Venue: Fürstliche Reitbahn Bad Arolsen
Length: 3 Minutes 25 Secs.
61.
Triple Paced by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1943/1944; USA
Date of Recording: 03/2000
Venue: Fürstliche Reitbahn Bad Arolsen
Length: 3 Minutes 9 Secs.
62.
Soliloquy by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1945; USA
Date of Recording: 03/2000
Venue: Fürstliche Reitbahn Bad Arolsen
Length: 3 Minutes 4 Secs.
63.
Easy Pieces (3) for Piano by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1933; USA
Date of Recording: 03/2000
Venue: Fürstliche Reitbahn Bad Arolsen
Length: 6 Minutes 52 Secs.
64.
Crete by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1945; USA
Date of Recording: 03/2000
Venue: Fürstliche Reitbahn Bad Arolsen
Length: 1 Minutes 13 Secs.
65.
Ad Lib by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1943; USA
Date of Recording: 03/2000
Venue: Fürstliche Reitbahn Bad Arolsen
Length: 3 Minutes 56 Secs.
66.
Dad by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1945; USA
Date of Recording: 03/2000
Venue: Fürstliche Reitbahn Bad Arolsen
67.
Pieces (2) for Piano [ca 1935, rev 1974] by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1935/1974; USA
Date of Recording: 03/2000
Venue: Fürstliche Reitbahn Bad Arolsen
Length: 3 Minutes 57 Secs.
68.
Pieces (2) for Piano [1946] by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1946; USA
Date of Recording: 03/2000
Venue: Fürstliche Reitbahn Bad Arolsen
Length: 9 Minutes 27 Secs.
69.
Perpetual Tango by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1984; USA
70.
In a Landscape by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1948; USA
71.
Cheap Imitation by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1969; USA
72.
Dream by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1948; USA
73.
Perpetual Tango II by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1984; USA
74.
Swinging by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1989; USA
75.
Suite for Toy Piano by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1948; USA
76.
Etudes australes by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1974-1975; USA
Date of Recording: 12/2001
Venue: Royal Riding School, Arolsen, Germany
Length: 204 Minutes 0 Secs.
77.
Opening Dance by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1942; USA
Length: 1 Minutes 51 Secs.
78.
Furniture Music Etcetera by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1980; USA
Length: 20 Minutes 25 Secs.
79.
Works of Calder by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Toy Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1949-1950; USA
Length: 15 Minutes 3 Secs.
80.
Four 3 for 1/2 Pianos, Rainsticks, Vln/Oscillator and Silence by John Cage
Performer:
Andreas Seidel (Violin),
Steffen Schleiermacher (Piano),
Steffen Schleiermacher (Rainsticks)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1991; USA
Length: 32 Minutes 30 Secs.
81.
Suite for Toy Piano by John Cage
Performer:
Steffen Schleiermacher (Toy Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1948; USA
Length: 7 Minutes 1 Secs.
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