CDOTD 2/10/2023

 John Cage: Piano Music (disc one) (Brilliant Classics)

Purchased at Half Price Books

There was a time when I was a serious Cage fanatic. I loved some of the music but was generally excited by the philosophy that underpinned even his most extreme works. I liked the idea of systems of composition with indeterminate results, that a piece could have a character but also in some ways be unpredictable. I also found his light sense of humor appealing, and I'm certain he got as far as he did because he was such a likable person.

John Cage and Morton Feldman, sometime in 1982-83, spent a brief residency or festival at University of Indiana Pennsylvania. Knowing the state of IUP's music program now, this seems especially strange, and I'm curious how the whole thing came about. I was vaguely aware it was going on, but didn't even think how I could make the effort to attend. I regret it now. I knew someone who covered the event for the local paper. She didn't care a bit about any of the music. She found Cage friendly and engaging, and said Feldman did nothing but talk about himself.

I did have the opportunity to have Cage autograph a book for me. It was at the Swathmore Arts Center in Rockville, MD. It's an old mansion that had been converted into an arts space. The event had a performance of the "Song Books" scattered through the building. Cage then spoke outdoors on the lawn, followed by performances of various works both inside and outside. Later that night was a bigger event at a concert hall. It seemed to me that the Swathmore event was the best possible way to experience Cage's music, untethered to an auditorium seat and wandering around. The "Song Books" performance was absolutely beautiful, I'll add. Nobody knew if we should applaud when it was clear the performance was over, and it was John himself who started it off. 

So while I have quite a few of Cage's recordings on CD and vinyl, a triple CD set of piano music for...$5-6 I think? No question I'll get that. The first disc collects Cage's shorter non-prepared piano music. It is something of a picture of an emerging artist, breaking from the influence of his teachers Schoenberg and Cowell. The "Jazz Study", a work I don't think was available for many years, seems as closely related to jazz as Debussy, Shostakovich, or Nancarrow's jazz-influenced compositions. There's a flavor, but it ain't jazz.

It's all performed perfectly well by Giancarlo Simonacci, though it's music whose virtuosity doesn't rise to the level of an Alkan or Liszt. It's going to sound like a backhanded compliment, but it's fine to have on in the background. Some moments are interesting and inventive, others recede into background sound. 

Disc two has a two-piano reduction of Satie's "Socrate", followed by Cage's "Cheap Imitation". The third disc is solo and duo performances of the "Etudes Borealis". I'll get to them some time. The third disc is kind of a ridiculous work though, creating etudes for cello and piano based on overlaying star charts on staff paper. I guess listen to it, and either it sounds good to your ear or it doesn't. 

But, so much for my Cage hero worship. I still admire him and love some of his music, but in some ways I've also moved on.