Search - Morton Feldman, Jos Zwaanenburg, The Barton Workshop :: Morton Feldman: Composing by Numbers - The Graphic Scores, 1950-67

First-rate Feldman.

Tom Furgas | Youngstown, OH United States | 01/03/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD collects most of the works composed by Feldman using the "graph" notation (boxes indicating general pitch range and number of pitches to be played in a given rhythmic unit). Four pieces (Atlantis, Ixion, The King Of Denmark, and one other work [unspecified in the liner notes]) are not included. Those included in this CD are key works, however. Some are orchestral works, performed by The Barton Workshop via overdubbing. All the works are poetic and the orchestral work "Out Of 'Last Pieces'" is performed here in a much more cohesive and fluent realization than the rather clumsy New York Philharmonic version issued in the 1960's. (This work, incidentally, is listed here as a "First Recording", but the NY Philharmonic version takes precedence.) Although the five "Projections" are also available in another recent Mode recording, every version of these pieces is bound to be very different, so having duplicate recordings is not a problem at all. In fact, it's a definite plus, in that one can compare the different versions and consider the similarities and differences. In any case, this recording is a must for any Feldman fan, and an important addition to any avant-garde chamber and orchestral (and piano; 2 of the works are for solo piano) collection."