John Cage - The Perilous Night

The Perilous Night, for prepared piano (1944)

Boris Berman, prepared piano

American avant-garde composer John Cage (1912-1992) started composing for prepared piano in 1940. The majority of early works for this instrument were created to accompany dances by Cage's various collaborators, most frequently Merce Cunningham. In response to frequent criticisms of prepared piano, Cage cited numerous predecessors (such as Henry Cowell). In the liner notes for the very first recording of his most highly acclaimed work for prepared piano, Sonatas and Interludes, Cage wrote: "Composing for the prepared piano is not a criticism of the instrument. I'm only being practical." Composed in 1944, The Perilous Night is Cage's first large-scale work for prepared piano. Twenty-six notes are prepared with various materials. The piece contains six separate sections with different rhythmic structures. According to Cage, The Perilous Night expresses "the loneliness and terror that comes to one when love becomes unhappy." [wikipedia.org]

Art by Richard Lindner

Category:

Music

Tags:

• cage
• berman
• perilous
• night
• prepared
• piano

[zorzynek]

Thanks!

[afanbr]

Uma das melhores obras dele....

[123must]

Wonderful !

Thanks