Friday and Saturday, June 28th and 29th
JOHN CAGE
These two evenings of early works by Cage mark a return of the music of Cage, once a guest in the Schindler House, to the grounds of the House and include a little known work, Composition for Three Voices, dedicated to Schindler's wife, Pauline. Selected by James Tenney, the works performed mark the coincidence of several Cage anniversaries: the 50th anniversary of the seminal work 4' 33" performed in 1952, the 90th anniversary of Cage's birth, and the 10th anniversary of his death.
Friday:
Sonatas and Interludes for prepared piano
played by James Tenney
Just as you go along the beach and pick up pretty shells that please you, I go into the piano and find sounds I like. - John Cage
The Sonatas and Interludes (1946-1948) for prepared piano were influenced by Cage's reading of the works of Ananda K. Coomaraswamy and "attempt the expression in music of the 'permanent emotions' of Indian traditions: the heroic, the erotic, the wondrous, the mirthful, sorrow, fear, anger, the odious and their common tendency toward tranquility." The preparation of the piano involves the placement of bolts, screws and other objects and materials between the strings, emphasizing percussive qualities over pitch. In fact, the sound of prepared piano is similar to eastern percussive music, especially the traditions of Indonesian gamelan.
Saturday:
Early Works: 1933-1950
"Nocturne for Violin and Piano", with Mark Menzies, violin, and James Tenney, piano;
"String Quartet in Four Parts" played by CalArts faculty and students; "Credo in US" ; and
"In a Landscape" and "Dream" with dancer/choreographers Deborah Cohen and Simone Forti
"The subject of the Suite for Toy Piano (1948)
Zachary Scott, toy piano
looking on: Mark Menzies, violin 1, Johnny Chang, violin 2,
Natalie Brejcha, viola, Robert Zimmerman, cello
Credo in US (1942), originally written for Merce Cunningham.
Devin Maxwell and Zachary Scott, percussion, Neema Pazargad, piano, Katie Porter, turntable
Much of Cage's early music was written for dance, and Saturday night's program reunited Tenney
with fellow Judson Dance Theater alumna Simone Forti in Dream (1948).
In A Landscape (1948) with dancer/choregrapher Deborah Cohen, Phala Tracy, harp.
The score of Composition for Three Voices (1934) was dedicated to Pauline Schindler
and dates from the period that Cage resided at the Schindler House.
Sarah Wass, flute, Katie Porter, clarinet, Natalie Brejcha, viola
sound. at the Schindler House is produced by SASSAS
contribute to SASSAS and receive a copy of soundCd no. 1
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