Search - John [1] Cage :: John Cage: In a Landscape

Great for old and new listeners

Aaron C. Burkhalter | Seattle, WA United States | 08/03/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"...For a new listener this album is perfect. It's beautiful, and accessible and just all around pleasing to listen to. The piece "In A Landscape" is the first piece I play for anyone who says they don't like John Cage. They're usually sold within the first 30 seconds of the piece. The ambience and simplicity of this piece is so striking, but Cage's take on harmony (which is especially challenging in a piece that's so focused on melody) keeps the piece from sounding new age.
Anyone just starting out with John Cage, start here. If this strikes you well, check out "Music For Changes" and then the Sonatas and Interludes for prepared piano. Beyond that I highly encourage anyone to do some research, read some of Cage's writings, especially a collection of essays and lectures titled "Silence." As his life progresses, his music becomes more minimal and disjointed, and his words really strike down exactly what it is he's trying to accomplish with his music, and that really helps the listener.
For listeners that are already very familiar with Cage's work, this still isn't a waste. These recordings are a great collection of some nice Cage pieces that don't get as much attention, and is still a really pleasing album to listen to."

Don't be intimidated!

ADP | Washington, DC USA | 10/18/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Don't be intimidated by what you may have heard about John Cage; his music can be much more accessible than that of many other 20th-century composers, and perhaps even some earlier ones (I'll take Cage over Wagner any day). Drury plays Cage's early piano music, some of it written as dance accompaniment, with knowledge and respect. The title piece, which opens the album, sounds superficially like new-age music, but isn't the least bit boring--it's as boring as a beautiful woman, or a view from a mountain. More idiosyncratic and humorous (Cage *always* had a great sense of humor) are the "Music for Toy Piano," which shows Cage's ability to see more possibilities than the rest of us, and the short "Prelude to Meditation," which says an enormous amount with a few light touches on the keys. There's even an organ piece, which provides a nice variation. Please forget what you may have heard about Cage and buy this CD!"