John Cage: 4' 33"

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Although originally posted on Building a Library as an April Fool, there was some interesting discussion, so I've restored it under a different heading. I should add that all the listed recordings are genuine.


Available versions:-


Ezio Bosso, Stradivari Festival Chamber Orchestra *

Khatia Buniatishvili (piano)

Zoltán Kocsis (piano), Amadinda Percussion Group *

Ulrich Krieger (soprano saxophone); Tobias Rüger (tenor saxophone), Reimar Volker (baritone saxophone)

Stephanie McCallum (piano) *

Julie Steinberg (piano)

Enno Voorhorst (guitar)


(* = download only)

[RichardB]

I think you've omitted to mention the version by Les Dawson on a 1730 Cristofori fortepiano.

[Bryn]

I think you've omitted to mention the version by Les Dawson on a 1730 Cristofori fortepiano.

The Frank Zappa recording (on the "A Chance Operation" Cage tribute double album) is also missing. The Amadinda recording features field recordings around Budapest, not Zoltán Kocsis (piano). Must try harder.

[Lordgeous]

Very good!

[Goon525]

What could the date possibly be? I do think this work needs high resolution digital audio to succeed in reproduction - too much risk of surface noise on vinyl outweighing the sounds one is supposed to hear.

[Pulcinella]

I hadn't realised that there were so many different versions of the score.

This from Wiki:

Versions of the score
Several versions of the score exist:
There are four known later versions, one of which is in the New York Public Library.

The original Woodstock manuscript (August 1952): conventional notation, dedicated to David Tudor. This manuscript is currently lost. Tudor's attempt at re-creating the original score is reproduced in Fetterman 1996, p. 74.
The Kremen manuscript (1953): graphic, space-time notation, dedicated to Irwin Kremen. The movements of the piece are rendered as space between long vertical lines; a tempo indication is provided (60), and at the end of each movement the time is indicated in minutes and seconds. Edition Peters No. 6777a. Kremen was given the score by Cage on June 5, 1953, for his 28th birthday. The score was later purchased for the Museum of Modern Art by Henry R. Kravis in honor of his wife, Marie-Josée Drouin, the museum's president.
The so-called First Tacet Edition: a typewritten score, lists the three movements using Roman numbers, with the word "TACET" underneath each. A note by Cage describes the first performance and mentions that "the work may be performed by any instrumentalist or combination of instrumentalists and last any length of time." Edition Peters No. 6777 (out of print).
The so-called Second Tacet Edition: same as the First, except that it is printed in Cage's calligraphy, and the explanatory note mentions the Kremen manuscript. Edition Peters No. 6777 (i.e., it carries the same catalog number as the first Tacet Edition) Additionally, a facsimile, reduced in size, of the Kremen manuscript, appeared in July 1967 in Source 1, no. 2:46–54; the First Tacet Edition is described in Nyman 1974, p. 3, but it is not reproduced in that book.
There is some discrepancy between the lengths of individual movements of the premiere performance, specified in different versions of the score. The Woodstock printed program specifies the lengths 30″, 2′23″ and 1′40″, as does the Kremen manuscript, and presumably the original manuscript had the same indications. However, in the First Tacet Edition Cage writes that at the premiere the timings were 33″, 2′40″ and 1′20″. In the Second Tacet Edition he adds that after the premiere a copy has been made for Irwin Kremen, in which the lengths of the movements were 30″, 2′23″ and 1′40″. The causes of this discrepancy are not currently understood, the original manuscript being still lost.

[cloughie]

This is a FIRST !

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

This is a FIRST !

[kernelbogey]

I understand that it has been agreed that, while Elise will be presenting the extracts as usual, and commenting on them, Andrew's contributions will be be heard only during the extracts, which will be faded up under his voice.

[Barbirollians]

Sadly, nobody will record my superb account at my upright piano.

[Pulcinella]

Has BBM ever considered an arrangement for brass band?

[Barbirollians]

[MickyD]

Waiting for the HIPP version.

[kernelbogey]

Has BBM ever considered an arrangement for brass band?

[cloughie]

Has BBM ever considered an arrangement for brass band?

Concert band, Pulc, must get the textures of the woodwind!