Christmas in Leipzig traces tradition of excellence

This album is about tradition. It's a live recording of the Christmas concert held in Thomaskirche, Leipzig - a long-running tradition. It features three cantatas based on the traditional Lutheran chorale, Von Himmel Hoch 

The works were composed by three Cantors of Thomaskirche, illustrating the evolution of German choral composition. These were also the three composers who preceded Johnn Sebastian Bach. Each composer building and expanding on the musical traditions he inherited.

And these were long-standing traditions -- each of these composers died in their posts, often after decades of service.

Johann Knüpfer was the first composer to bring Leipzig prominence as a musical center.

Johann Schelle performed under Heinrich Schutz as a boy tenor. He took over Thomaskirche when Knüpfer died in 1677. 

When Schelle died in 1701, Johann Kuhlau succeeded him. His music is the closest to his successor, Johann Sebastian Bach. Kuhlau's 1692 Magnificat features extended opening and closing choruses. The recitative/aria form is fully developed.

Peter Groner directs the assembled forces in loving performances of these works. The choruses, echoing through the sanctuary have a grandiose warmth to them. And the audiences are very well-behaved. Christmas is a time of tradition, which makes this concert -- and these works -- that much better.

Highly recommended.

Vom Himmel houch, da komm ich her 

Weihnachtskonzerte aus Leipzig 

Schelle, Knüpfer and Kuhnau 

Monika Mauch, soprano; Hanna Zumsande, soprano; Franz Vitzthum, alto; Sebastian Hubner, tenor; Ekkehard Abele, bass 

Kammerchor der ChristusKirche Karlsruhe; L'arpa festante; Peter Gorner, conductor 

Christophorus CHR 77448

#ClassicsaDay #ClassicalTimeMachine Week 4

Last month the Classics a Day team chose vintage recordings as the theme. Specifically, recordings made before the LP era. This month, the focus moves forward in time a little, to the early LP era. This runs from 1948 to about 1958, with the advent of stereo recording.

In that era (as with other eras of recording) composers conducted their own works, legendary performances were preserved, and occasionally history was made. 

Here are my posts for the fourth and final week of #ClassicalTimeMachine (early LPs).

11/23/20 Beethoven - String Quartet Op. 18, No. 1 (Columbia, 1952)

The Budapest Quartet (founded in 1917) was in its 3rd incarnation when it recorded the Beethoven string quartets over a 2-year period.

11/24/20 Haydn - Symphony No. 48 (Supraphon, 1951)

Hermann Scherchen recorded this with the Vienna State Opera Orchestra. It was first released on shellac, then on LP coupled with a second Haydn symphony Hans Swarowsky conducting.

11/25/20 Rachmaninov - Piano Concerto No. 2 (Melodyia, 1951)

Sviatoslav Richter recorded this with Kurt Sanderling and the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra in the Melodyia studios. it has been released and released on 14 labels (LP), and 13 others (CD).

11/27/20 Gould - Spirituals for Orchestra (Mercury, 1953)

Antal Dorati and the Minnesota orchestra recorded this 1941 work in Minneapolis for Mercury. It was issued in "Hi-Fi Mono" originally.

Julia Kociuban energizes Tansman and Bacewicz concertos

Julia Kociuban delivers spectacular performances of two 20th Century piano concertos. Alexander Tansman's Piano Concerto No. 1 and Grazyna Bacewicz's Piano Concerto are, in my opinion, greatly under-appreciated. I came to that conclusion after hearing this recording.  

Alexander Tansman wrote his Piano Concerto No. 1 while living in Paris. Its neo-classical styling strongly reminded me of another composer who was there around the same time -- Bohuslav Martinu. The concerto has some distinctive syncopations and modal harmonies that I really enjoyed.

I was most familiar with Grazyna Bacewicz through her string quartets, which are aggressively avant-garde. So her 1948 Piano Concerto took me by surprise. 

It's an energic, modernist work. But it still has a clearly defined tonal center and (relatively) smooth, flowing melodies. 

Kociuban is well-known for her performances of Bacewicz' Piano Sonata No. 2. That deep understanding of this work informs her interpretation here. Kociuban is very much in control. Her enthusiastic playing adds to the excitement of the music. 

Before this recording, the piano concerto had lapsed into obscurity. This performance should bring it back into the repertoire. Artists and orchestras looking to increase the presence of women composers should start here.

 Alexander Tansman, Grazyna Bacewicz: Piano Concertos
Julia Kociuban, piano
Arthur Rubinstein Philharmonic Orchestra; Pawel Przytocki, conductor
DUX 1612

Myslivecek Oboe Quintets anticipate Mozart

Many musicologists credit Josef Myslivecek with providing the compositional models Mozart was to follow. The Czech composer was a friend of Leopold Mozart and close to the family until they fell out in 1778.

The chamber works in this release certainly bear a strong resemblance to Mozart's early work. And they're just as enjoyable.

For a long time, Myslivecek's oboe quartets were considered lost. Thanks to the efforts of oboist Michaela Hrabánková and violinist Václav Dvorák, the music for three of Mislivecek's six quintets have been recovered.

And they receive their world premiere recording with this release. The quintets are elegantly constructed, with beautifully symmetrical phrases. 

Michaela Hrabánková plays with a lyrical delicacy that gives this music a certain refinement. 

Equally appealing are the three string quartets performed by the Doležal Quartet. The ensemble has natural chemistry to it. The quartet sound (as they should), like a conversation between four good friends. 

For anyone who enjoys the chamber music of Mozart and Haydn, give this disc a listen. Myslivecek is an early Classical composer worth exploring. 

Myslivecek: Oboe Quintets, String Quartets
Doležal Quartet, Michaela Hrabánková, oboe
Supraphon SU 4289-2

Poul Ruders avoids categorizations in Volume 15

What I like best about Poul Ruders is that he's his own man. Ruders picks and chooses from all the various contemporary compositional trends. 

He mixes and matches them, all in service of the idea he wants to express. And Ruders makes it all sound not only cohesive but logical -- as if it simply couldn't be any other way.

This release features three important works; Ruders' third piano concerto, a work for orchestra, and a work for dual keyboards. 

Ruders is far from the first composer to write a set of variations on a theme by Paganini. His 2014 Piano Concerto No. 3. Ruders deconstructs the theme in a variety of ways. But no matter how small the fragments, the music retains its cohesiveness. Most theme and variations works seem to continually stop and start as one variation ends and another begins. 

 avoids that by making the variations fluid and (if I'm hearing correctly), overlapping. The works have the forward motion and energy of a concerto. The music seems to keep moving, building to extended climaxes. Anne-Marie McDermot performs with exceptional precision and verve. Her phrasing brings out relationships between the sections.

Poul Ruder's Cembal d'Amore references the past on several levels. The title refers to a Baroque instrument that had double sets of strings. Ruder's work also features a double set of strings -- one in a harpsichord and the other in a piano. 

The music itself also references the Baroque. But Ruder's isn't bound by the past. This work mixes neo-classical elements in with contemporary tonal (and sometimes non-tonal) ideas to create a heady little dance suite that could exist in no other time. The piano duo Quattro Mani brings this music to life. I was especially impressed at how balanced the sound was between the two instruments. A concert grand piano can easily overwhelm a harpsichord. Not so here. The two instruments sounded like equals. And that takes a lot of skill.

The Kafkapriccio is an orchestral suite from Ruder's opera "Kafka's Trial." Kafka held a distorted lens up to society. It's fitting that this music do the same. Ruder takes familiar musical tropes from the circus and stage and creates something new and fresh. And as unsettled as Kafka's characters. The Odense Symphony Orchestra, directed by Andreas Delfs keeps the energy level high. They also manage to inject an element of sarcasm and irony into the score that just makes it even better.  

Poul Ruders Edition: volume 15
Piano Concerto No. 3, "Paganini Variations"
Cembal d'Amore, Second Book
Kafkapriccio
Anne-Marie McDermott; Quattro Mani; Odensesymfoniorkester; Benjamin Schwartz, Andreas Delfs, conductors
Bridge Records 9531

 

#ClassicsaDay #ClassicalTimeMachine Week 3

Last month the Classics a Day team chose vintage recordings as the theme. Specifically, recordings made before the LP era. This month, the focus moves forward in time a little, to the early LP era. This runs from 1948 to about 1958, with the advent of stereo recording.

In that era (as with other eras of recording) composers conducted their own works, legendary performances were preserved, and occasionally history was made. 

Here are my posts for the third week of #ClassicalTimeMachine (early LPs).

11/16/20 Wilma Lipp - "Der Hölle Rache" (EMI, 1951)

This was part of a staging of Die Zauberflote at the Salzburg Festival, 1950. Wilhelm Furtwangler conducted the Vienna Philharmonic.

11/17/20 Janos Starker - Kodaly: Sonata for unaccompanied cello (Columbia, 1950)

Starker consulted with Kodaly on the performance of this work. He recorded it four times (this is the second).

11/18/20 Arthur Rubinstein - Beethoven (RCA 1949)

Rubinstein recorded about 107 hours of music for RCA. This was his first recording of Beethoven's "Pathetique" sonata.

11/19/20 Vlado Perlemuter - Ravel: Piano Concerto in G (Pathe Vox, 1955)

Perlemuter spent six months with Ravel learning to perform his music per the composer's wishes. This concerto was recorded in 1955 with Jascha Horenstein and the Orchestra des Concerts Colonne.

11/20/20 Leroy Anderson - Fiddle Faddle (RCA, 1947)

Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops were the first to record Leroy Anderson's music. This was part of a 1947 session. All were later rerecorded in higher fidelity.

Antonio Vandini Complete Works benefit from careful research

Antonio Vandini was one of the celebrated cellists of his age. And that age was the early 1700s when he shared the spotlight with his close friend Giuseppe Tartini.

Vandini, like other virtuosos of his time, composed music for his instrument. But he didn't write much that survived -- just six sonatas and a concerto. 

Still, this music gives us insight into Vandini's technique and aesthetic. And especially as it's presented here. 

Francesco Galligioni extensively researched Vandini and his music before undertaking this recording. He opted for a historically accurate instrument. And he opted to use historic playing practices. That meant holding the bow in an underhand grip, changing how it moves across the strings. 

I think the result was successful. The cello sounds more tightly focused than that of a modern instrument. There's a clean, singing quality to the sound I found quite pleasing. 

Galligioni wisely varied the basso continuo instruments, giving the program some additional variety.

Vandini's style galante music is charming and elegant. And in these performances, I think we get a better impression of the musician who wrote them.

 Antonia Vandini: Complete Works
Francesco Galligioni, cello
L'arte dell'Arco
Dynamic

Jan Ladiislav Dussek Sonatinas for amateurs and professionals

The liner notes for this release carefully points out that Dussek "wrote extensively for the Middle Class." In this case, 12 Progressive Lessons and Six Sonatinas, Op. 20 -- both written for amateur musicians.

And while they're not masterworks, they're certainly well-crafted. And I found myself enjoying them in different ways. 

The 12 Progressive Studies are more than just a series of lessons. They also introduce "several characteristics airs of different nations." Listening to the studies as a group, the music seemed to have a narrative arc as it moved from simple to complex.

The Six Sonatinas are simply a collection of stand-alone works. And while they may be simple in structure, some of the passages sounded quite challenging.

Ursula Dütschler plays with a sure touch. The last of the progressive lessons move from amateur to professional level, and Dütschler rises to the challenge.

I wasn't especially enamored with the sound of the fortepiano, though. It's a reproduction of an 1800 Schanz, and the action seems a little sluggish. Dütschler seems to take that in stride, too. Still, I'd like to hear her performing on a more responsive instrument.

On the whole, a solid addition to Brilliant Classic's Dussek series.

Jan Ladislav Dussek: Complete Piano Sonatas Volume 8: Sonatinas  

Ursula Dütschler, fortepiano 

Brilliant Classics 95982

Andrew Waggoner - Quantum Memoir explores connections

This release features three concertos by violinist and composer Andrew Waggoner. These are short works -- the longest runs just 19 minutes. But they're also densely packed. 

Waggoner writes in a post-tonal style that can be enjoyed by the casual (albeit adventurous) listener, and those who want music that reveals more with every playing.

The title "Quantum Memoir" refers to the inter-relatedness of these works. They're part of a musical diary that spans several years. In it, Waggoner explores the relationship between the soloist and the ensemble. 

Other composers have done this as well. Is it soloist with accompaniment, two equal partners, an ensemble with the featured performer, or something else? Waggoner explores many of these relationships within the same work.  

The Concerto for Piano was commissioned by the Seattle Modern Orchestra for Gloria Cheng -- both of who perform it in this recording.

Guitarist Kenneth Meyer and violinist Michael Lim both play the concertos they commissioned from Waggonner. In all three cases, this is music crafted to the strengths of the soloists. 

There's a synergy and deep understanding between these artists and the composer. And that's what makes these performances not only successful but exciting as well.

Andrew Waggoner: Quantum Memoir
Michael Lim, violin; Gloria Cheng, piano; Kenneth Meyer, guitar
Seattle Modern Orchestra, Julia Tai, conductor
Bridge Records

#ClassicsaDay #ClassicalTimeMachine Week 2

 Last month the Classics a Day team chose vintage recordings as the theme. Specifically, recordings made before the LP era. This month, the focus moves forward in time a little, to the early LP era. This runs from 1948 to about 1958, with the advent of stereo recording.

In that era (as with other eras of recording) composers conducted their own works, legendary performances were preserved, and occasionally history was made. 

Here are my posts for the second week of #ClassicalTimeMachine (early LPs).

11/09/20 Jussi Bjorling - Nessun Dorma (1952)

"The Voice of Firestone" was a classical music program running from 1928 (on radio) and from 1949-1963 on TV. This recording comes from Bjorling's performance on the program.

11/10/20 Sibelius - Violin Concerto (1951)

A young Isaac Stern recorded this with Thomas Beechem and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Abby Road Studios.

11/11/20 Chopin - Polonaise in A, Op. 40 No. 1 (1951)

Artur Rubinstein made this recording for RCA. who he started with in 1928. When he died, Rubinstein had recorded over 100 hours of music for the label.

11/12/20 Tchaikovsky - Nutcracker Suite (RCA, 1950)

Leopold Stokowski made over 100 recordings with "Leopold Stokowski's Symphony Orchestra." The LSSO had an ever-rotating roster of NYC musicians (including the NY Phil and NBC orchestra).

11/13/20 Schoenberg - Verkaerte Nacht (Capitol Records, 1950)

The Hollywood Quartet was founded by Leonard Slatkin's parents, Felix Slatkin and Eleanor Aller. Its members were top movie studio musicians, and the ensemble made a series of outstanding and important recordings.

Jan Ladislav Dussek Sonatinas present challenges

The liner notes for this release carefully points out that Dussek "wrote extensively for the Middle Class." In this case, 12 Progressive Lessons and Six Sonatinas, Op. 20 -- both written for amateur musicians.

And while they're not masterworks, they're certainly well-crafted. And I found myself enjoying them in different ways. 

The 12 Progressive Studies are more than just a series of lessons. They also introduce "several characteristics airs of different nations." Listening to the studies as a group, the music seemed to have a narrative arc as it moved from simple to complex.

The Six Sonatinas are simply a collection of stand-alone works. And while they may be simple in structure, some of the passages sounded quite challenging.

Ursula Dütschler plays with a sure touch. The last of the progressive lessons move from amateur to professional level, and Dütschler rises to the challenge.

I wasn't especially enamored with the sound of the fortepiano, though. It's a reproduction of an 1800 Schanz, and the action seems a little sluggish. Dütschler seems to take that in stride, too. Still, I'd like to hear her performing on a more responsive instrument.

On the whole, a solid addition to Brilliant Classic's Dussek series.

Jan Ladislav Dussek: Complete Piano Sonatas Volume 8: Sonatinas 
Ursula Dütschler, fortepiano
 Brilliant Classics 95982

Moszkowski series continues with sweet orchestral suites

This installment of Moritz Moszkowski's orchestral music features two of his three orchestral suites. Ian Hobson and the Sinfonia Varsovia deliver sympathetic performances. 

The strings especially seem to exude the Romantic gooeyness of Moskowski's style. The ensemble is well-recorded. The sound has a little bit of soft focus, but all the music details can be plainly heard.

The Second Suite for Orchestra, though late Romantic in style, looks back to the Baroque. The first two movements, Preludio and Fuga especially seem to be reinterpretations of the baroque forms. Mozskowski orchestrates his lyrical melodies well; listen especially for the solo violin and harp duet. 

Moszkowski remains solidly in the Romantic Era with his Third Suite of ORchestra. The work was completed in 1908 and is full of lush, Romantic harmonies. At times, I thought I heard elements of Polish folk music. If Bach provided some of the inspiration for the second suite, Schubert seems to have done so for the third. The music has a fluidity that just pours from one theme into another. 

These are exceptionally beautiful works. As with the first volume, the quality of the music here more than justifies this project. These are works that (in an ideal world) could easily find a wider audience. 

The first volume in this series featured but one work by Mortiz Moskowski: the massive Joan of Arc. This volume has two of his orchestral suites. I wonder if the third volume will have three works on it. 

Moritz Moszkowski: Orchestral Music, Volume 2
Suite No 2, Op. 47; Suite No. 3, Op. 79
Sinfonia Varsovia; Ian Hobson, conductor
Toccata Classics TOCC 0557

Aleck Karis brings fresh insights to Debussy

There are plenty of Debussy recordings made by artists past and present -- so what makes this release different? Two things, I think; Aleck Karis' musicality and Bridge Records' skill at piano recordings. 

Right from the opening Etude, I was impressed. Pour Les "Cinq Doigts": D'après Monsieur Czerny starts off with a simple scale but soon veers off in another direction. 

Karis' performance made it all sound spontaneous. As if he was the one wandering off from boring scales into much more interesting cascading harmonies.

The other etudes also benefit from Karis' interpretations. My impression is that he not only gave thought as to what the character of each etude should be but how it should be in context with the etudes before and after it. 

As I listened, each book of the Etudes seemed to have its own emotional arc -- albeit a picaresque one. I also enjoyed the Children's Corner. Karis plays these pieces in an innocent, light-hearted way that reminded me strongly of childlike innocence. 

The piano is a difficult instrument to record, but Bridge Records knows how to do it. The instrument in this recording sounded natural, with the registers properly balanced. Karis uses the pedal sparingly here, and the accuracy of the recording lets me appreciate that subtle distinction.

Beautifully performed, and beautifully recorded. That's what makes this release stand out in a crowded field.  

Karis Plays Debussy
Claude Debussy:  Etudes, Books I and II; Children's Corner
Aleck Karis, piano
Bridge Records

#ClassicsaDay #ClassicalTimeMachine Early LPs, Week 1

 Last month the Classics a Day team chose vintage recordings as the theme. Specifically, recordings made before the LP era. This month, the focus moves forward in time a little, to the early LP era. This runs from 1948 to about 1958, with the advent of stereo recording.

In that era (as with other eras of recording) composers conducted their own works, legendary performances were preserved, and occasionally history was made. 

Here are my posts for the first week of #ClassicalTimeMachine (early LPs).

11/02/20 Edgard Varèse - Complete Works Of Edgard Varèse, Volume 1 (EMS LP, 1951)

Varèse supervised these premiere recordings of his works. A year after its release, a 12-year-old Frank Zappa would discover it and become a fan.

11/03/20 Andrés Segovia - Astrudias (Decca Gold Label 1952)

Some consider Segovia's 1950s recordings to be his best -- the artist at the peak of his abilities combined with recording technology sufficient to capture it.

11/04/20 Bela Bartok - Concerto for Orechstra (Columbia Masterworks 1946)

Shortly after Bartok revised the score, Fritz Reiner and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra recorded it on 78 rpm records. It was later released as a 12" mono LP by Columbia.

11/05/20 Fiesta in Hi-Fi (Mercury Living Presence 1958)

Howard Hanson and the Eastman Rochester Orchestra were a mainstay of American music. This release includes works by Quincy Porter, Wallingford Riegger, Lyndol Mitchell, and others.

11/06/20 Chausson - Symphony in B-flat major (Mercury Mono 1956)

Composer and organist Paul Paray conducted the Detroit Symphony Orchestra from 1952-63. He specialized in French repertoire and made legendary recordings of it with the DSO for Mercury.

Rafaele Carpino sources Mauro Giuliani guitar works

Mauro Giuliani was the pre-eminent guitar virtuoso of the early 19th Century. And, as was the practice, virtually all of his compositions were for his instrument. 

This release features six works, four of which in Giuliani's favorite form -- theme and variations. 

Guitarist Rafaele Carpino is also a historiographer of the instrument. For this recording, he uses the first edition scores of the music. 

That's important because Giuliani's music has been tweaked by different editors over the centuries. One of the significant differences here is that Carpino observes all of Giuliani's notated reprises. 

Yes, it does lengthen the works. But it also changes their shape. The reprises bring the listener back home to the theme after the wide-ranging voyages of Giuliani's variations. 

Carpino performs with precision and taste. His phrasing is elegant and often helps the listener follow the often-obscured melody. 

A beautiful recording with a fresh take on familiar music.

Mauro Giuliani: Guitar Works 

Rafaele Carpino, guitar 

Tactus TC 780704 

Concurrences - music of Iceland refreshingly diverse

This release features all world premiere recordings by Icelandic composers. If there's a common thread that gives this music an "Icelandic" quality, I didn't hear it. What I did hear were four talented composers expressing themselves in four very different ways. 

The Iceland Symphony Orchestra directed by Daniel Bjarnason delivers exciting performances of some very difficult music. And the ensemble exceptionally well-recorded, too. The fine details revealed in the recording are essential to the success of some of these works. 

Anna Thorvaldsdottir's "Metacosmos" starts the program. It's a tightly-knit web of motifs. They interact, change, yet always retain their identities.

The Piano Concerto No. 2 of Thomasson is quite different. The work builds slowly in a minimalist fashion. Rhythmic patterns play against each other, increasing in tension as the work progresses. The shifting relationships between the patterns and those between the piano and orchestra seem to reinvent the concept of the concerto. 

"Oceans" by Sogfimsttir reminded me slightly of Kaija Saariaho. But only slightly. Sgfimstter uses long, sustained chords that change very slowly over time. But her sound clouds have a thicker texture than Sarriahos. This is a work of contemplative beauty. 

Palsson's work "Quake" also reminded me of another work -- the "Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima" by Penderecki. While similar, the emotional center of the work is quite different. Quake communicates mystery and foreboding rather than sorrow. Saeunn Thorsteindóttir, cello;

 

This is actually the second volume in this series. I'm very sorry I missed the first.

Concurrence 

Music by Anna Torvaldsdóttir, Hauker Tómasson, Maria Huld Markan Sifgusdóttir, Páll Ragnar Palsson 

Iceland Symphony Orchestra; Daniel Bjarnason, conductor 

Sono Luminus DSL-92237 

World Premier Recordings 

Voting should be more than a once-in-a-lifetime experience

It looks like the 2020 election will have one of the highest turnouts ever. If this is the first election you've participated in, thank you for being a responsible citizen. But please don't consider this a one-shot.

Every year you, dear citizen, have the opportunity to make equally important decisions. Yes, national leaders steer the country as a whole. But what impacts all of us most is what happens locally. 

Concerned about taxes? Then vote to decide who will set the state tax rates, the county tax rates, and perhaps your town or municipality tax rates. 

The President doesn't determine if the town sewer system's going to get that much-needed repair -- the town council does. And they decide who gets to do it -- be it a competent contractor or incompetent inlaw. 

And remember -- the appointed officials in your local government are selected by your elected ones. So if you don't the job your planning commission is doing, express your displeasure in your vote for the officials that hired them.

Case in point. Our local board of supervisors met in person for their August meeting. It made headlines. "Orange County investigated by health officials after unmasked supervisors hold first meeting in pandemic era."

Our fearless -- no, make that feckless -- leaders.

Our local leaders all walked into the room, through the doors with "masks required" signs, and sat down -- all without masks. They conducted their business and did grip-and-grin photos to present citations and awards -- all without masks. 

When interviewed, one supervisor said it was a "personal decision" not to wear a mask.

Fine. 

I will make a personal decision myself the next time my supervisor comes up for reelection. 

So for all you first-time (or first-in-a-long-time voters), good on you. If you truly care about democracy, I'll see you again at the polls next year.

Morton Feldman - For John Cage

"For John Cage" is one of the seven musical portraits Morton Feldman composed for friends. And it's the third issued by Bridge Records. 

"For John Cage" doesn't quote any of Cage's music, but Feldman perfectly captures his aesthetic, I think. This 71-minute piece draws the listener in, and heightens their awareness of the ambient sounds -- and silences -- around them. 

This has to be a difficult work to perform. The entire piece is played at piano or pianissimo. The piano (one stave only) and violin have equal weight. Often both instruments are playing the same motifs, but not exactly.

The piano's half-pedal slightly smears its notes, while the violin's are cleanly articulated. Rhythms are slightly mismatched. The precise notes of the piano grind against microtonal inflections of those same pitches on the violin.

All of these differences though are quite subtle. The soft volume throughout encourages attentive listening -- and that's when those differences become apparent.

Erik Carlson and Aleck Karis deliver a tremendous performance. It takes extraordinary control to play softly for so long. And to do so expressively even more so.

This music reveals something new with every listen. And the more carefully you listen, the greater the rewards.

Morton Feldman, Vol. 6
For John Cage
Erik Carlson, violin; Aleck Karis, piano
Bridge Records 9498