John Cage. 'RYOANJI'

[pastoralguy]

Does anyone know and have an opinion of this work? I bought a cd of it in the Glasgow Oxfam shop recently and have played it many times. I find it oddly hypnotic. The version I have is with Cage himself with a double bass player who both plays and sings but I believe there are other versions of it.

[Simon]

Not a work I know well, though I have listened to it on Youtube.

Here's another though, perhaps equally oddly hypnotic in a way. The rhythm of the deeper notes is a perfect counterbalance to the melody of the solo artist, and the tintinabulation in the central movement is surely a touch of genius. The introduction of a vocal part towards the end betrays, I feel, the influence of more traditional forms of composition, and could perhaps be said to be an anachronism, not entirely in keeping with the rest of the work, which, as a whole, surely cries out for some discerning musicologist to make it the subject of a Ph.D. Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6psjy93yoTA

[amateur51]

Lots of performances on youtube

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ryoanji+john+cage&oq=RYOANJI&gs_l=youtube.1.1.0l4.899.899.0.3371.1.1.0.0.0.0.293.293.2-1.1.0...0.0...1ac.2.LXFFt6jSjCc

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I have the hat[now]ART recording in Cage's version for Quintet (Percussion, Oboe, Flute, DBass and Trombone) with John Patrick Thomas. A work completely at piece with itself and fascinating in its references to Gagaku traditions (which might, indeed, strike some "dirty ears" as "cat-like" - pause to give Says minor hard stare!) - delighted to hear you enjoyed it, p-guy.

[MrGongGong]

I have the hat[now]ART recording in Cage's version for Quintet (Percussion, Oboe, Flute, DBass and Trombone) with John Patrick Thomas. A work completely at piece with itself and fascinating in its references to Gagaku traditions (which might, indeed, strike some "dirty ears" as "cat-like" - pause to give Says minor hard stare!) - delighted to hear you enjoyed it, p-guy.

I have that version
wonderful stuff

[Simon]

A work completely at piece with itself and fascinating in its references to Gagaku traditions

Indeed, FHG, indeed. I could not have put that better myself.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Indeed, FHG, indeed. I could not have put that better myself.

I wrote "at piece"?!

I blame this cold!

[Simon]

Nah. Freudian slip.