John Cage: Piano Works (Full Album)

Tracklist below. Download on iTunes: For physical sales: Listen via Spotify: John Cage (1912–92) is regarded as one of the most influential and controversial composers of the 20th century. It is not only his music that this reputation is based on – his ideas were revolutionary, and he cast doubt on the supremacy of European art, and music when it was unchallenged and such views were considered heretic. Cage rejected the status held by harmony, instrumentation, and even the development of music from one point to another. He disconnected harmony from rhythm to liberate western music from its hitherto privileged hierarchies – iconoclastic stuff for 1940s America! Cage studied with Schoenberg in Los Angeles, and although he adopted the 12-tone technique he abandoned Schoenberg’s expressionist style. Cage was also influenced the maverick composer – Erik Satie. Satie had also ridiculed the musical establishment, and Cage arranged Satie’s longest work Socrate (a monodrama for piano and voice) for two pianos. It is worth mentioning that Cage’s favourite Satie composition was Vexations, a short work for piano, with instructions that it may be performed 840 times without pause or change. 00:00:00 Three Easy Pieces (1933): Round 00:01:54 Three Easy Pieces (1933): Duo 00:02:36 Three Easy Pieces (1933): infinite CaNon 00:03:11 Three Easy Pieces (1933): Quest 00:04:01 Metamorphosis (1938): Metamorphosis I 00:06:17 Metamorphosis (1938): Metamorphosis II 00:08:54 Metamorphosis (1938): Metamorphosis III 00:13:59 Metamorphosis (1938): Metamorphosis IV 00:15:13 Metamorphosis (1938): Metamorphosis V 00:17:43 Jazz study (1942) 00:20:20 Tripled paced (first version, 1943): Tripled paced - 1a versione I 00:21:16 Tripled paced (first version, 1943): Tripled paced - 1a versione II 00:22:07 Tripled paced (first version, 1943): Tripled paced - 1a versione III 00:22:43 Ad lib 00:25:46 Soliloquy 00:28:21 Ophelia 00:34:45 Two pieces (1946): Two pieces I 00:38:22 Two pieces (1946): Two pieces II 00:42:07 in A landscape 00:50:08 Dream 00:56:24 Suite for toy Piano - versione per Pianoforte - I 00:57:42 Suite for toy Piano - versione per Pianoforte - II 00:59:09 Suite for toy Piano - versione per Pianoforte - III 01:00:20 Suite for toy Piano - versione per Pianoforte - IV 01:01:52 Suite for toy Piano - versione per Pianoforte - V 01:02:47 Seven Haiku I 01:03:00 Seven Haiku II 01:03:11 Seven Haiku III 01:03:34 Seven Haiku IV 01:03:50 Seven Haiku V 01:04:14 Seven Haiku vi 01:04:32 Seven Haiku viI 01:04:52 For M.C. and D.T. 01:05:40 Waiting 01:09:21 Socrate (1918) Drame symphonique en trois parties Transcription for two pianos by Cage (1944–1968): I Portrait de Socrate (Le Banquet) 01:15:47 Socrate (1918) Drame symphonique en trois parties Transcription for two pianos by Cage (1944–1968): II Bords de l’Iliussus (Phèdre) 01:22:39 Socrate (1918) Drame symphonique en trois parties Transcription for two pianos by Cage (1944–1968): III Morte de Socrate (Phédon) 01:38:23 Cheap imitation (1969) I 01:44:26 Cheap imitation (1969) II 01:53:28 Cheap imitation (1969) III 02:09:39 Etudes Boreales I (Piano) 02:15:13 Etudes Boreales II (Piano) 02:20:44 Etudes Boreales III (Piano) 02:26:22 Etudes Boreales IV (Piano) 02:32:04 Etudes Boreales I (cello) 02:37:32 Etudes Boreales II (cello) 02:43:12 Etudes Boreales III (cello) 02:48:41 Etudes Boreales IV (cello) 02:54:22 Etudes Boreales I (cello & Piano) 03:00:07 Etudes Boreales II (cello & Piano) 03:05:51 Etudes Boreales III (cello & Piano) 03:11:30 Etudes Boreales IV (cello & Piano)