JOHN CAGE : The Piano Works 2 - Sonatas And Interludes

'“The substance of John Cage’s music is elusive. It cannot be taught. It is intangible.”– Peggy Glanville-Hicks writing about John Cage in Musical America, September 1948
The Sonatas and Interludes enjoy a well deserved reputation as a masterwork and as a repertoire piece.But this is not a masterwork in the sense of other keyboard masterworks: Bach’s Goldbergs, Beethoven’sDiabelli Variations, Ives’ Concord Sonata.
Cage’s masterwork is quite different — a big piece with a quiet voice. The prepared piano operatesentirely by muting: by attaching objects to the strings of the piano. Cage alters their sounds invarious ways, turning the piano into a percussion orchestra akin to a gamelan. The results are differentfrom note to note — resonant, dry, metallic, wooden — but always quieter than before. The preparedpiano is an instrument that is personal and intimate.
Cage quietly and patiently built his large piece out of short structures. By constructing thework on the timeless foundation of Hindu aesthetics, he made each piece perfect and unhurried; focusingon the subtle modulations of his voice, speaking quietly to draw us in to explore thissoftly-colored world.
This new recording by young German pianist Philipp Vandré (a new music specialist whoperforms with Ensemble Modern, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, and his own Turfan Ensemble) is unique. It isthe first recording to use the smaller Steinway “O”-type piano (the same type of piano Cage composed theSonatas and Interludes on) rather than the commonly used grand-piano. Cage gives a detailed table ofpreparations for the strings and the objects to be used, including the exact placement of these objects,in direct relation to the length of the strings of the “O” piano. Vandré learned these detailsfrom the late Yvar Mikhashoff, who received this information from Cage. Because the location of thepreparations is different on a larger piano, they have the effect of making the strings sound lower on alarger instrument. The choice of the piano, therefore, has an immediate effect on the sound of theprepared strings.
Vandré consulted with Cage’s publisher clarifying some subtle details and discrepancies inthe published score, making new corrections and choices which are also recorded for the first time.These details, combined with Vandré’s thoughtful choice of preparations and loving approachto the music, make this the definitive recording of the Sonatas and Interludes'



Tracklist
Sonatas And Interludes For Prepared Piano
1 Sonata I 3:01
2 Sonata II 2:06
3 Sonata III 2:34
4 Sonata IV 2:37
5 First Interlude 4:14
6 Sonata V 2:34
7 Sonata VI 3:29
8 Sonata VII 2:15
9 Sonata VIII 3:16
10 Second Interlude 5:17
11 Third Interlude 3:15
12 Sonata IX 4:19
13 Sonata X 3:36
14 Sonata XI 4:08
15 Sonata XII 3:20
16 Fourth Interlude 2:32
17 Sonata XIII 4:05
18 Sonata XIV & XV "Gemini" 7:07
19 Sonata XVI 5:32

Credits
Art Direction – Brian Brandt
Composed By – John Cage
Engineer – Rüdiger Orth, Stephan Schmidt
Executive-Producer – Brian Brandt
Liner Notes – James Pritchett
Liner Notes [Translation (French)] – Marc Farre, Martine Jore
Liner Notes [Translation (German)] – Kurt Mikhaelis
Photography By [Photo Of John Cage] – Betsy Epstein
Photography By [Photo Of Philipp Vandré] – Sylvia Handschuh
Piano – Philipp Vandré
Producer – Ernstalbrecht Stiebler

Notes
First recording using the original Steinway "O" piano
Recorded at: Hessischer Rundfunk, Studio 1, Frankfurt, 17 & 18 December 1994
24-page booklet includes liner notes in English, German and French, plus the table of preparations from the score