Morton Feldman (1926-1987)

[Artem]

Thank you for sharing. I'll need to set out some time to read it. Looking forward to it.

[milk]

Feldman wrote Three Voices for two taped voices and one live voice. This recording uses three live voices. Does anyone have the CD? Does the booklet discuss their decision?

It also happens to be the longest on record, so the best, obvs.

This is challenging music. I can't find the right context in my life for it yet. It makes me feel like I'm losing my mind. I know some people might enjoy that but I kind of need to avoid it.

[Mandryka]

This is challenging music. I can't find the right context in my life for it yet. It makes me feel like I'm losing my mind. I know some people might enjoy that but I kind of need to avoid it.

There are I think strong emotional vibes which come out late Feldman, as far as I can the university types just ignore this aspect, but it seems to me the most salient aspect.

[milk]

There are I think strong emotional vibes which come out late Feldman, as far as I can the university types just ignore this aspect, but it seems to me the most salient aspect.

Interesting. I do like the last piano and strings work. It's dark. Maybe I'll try to come back to this some day.

[staxomega]

Some interesting reading about Triadic Memories: https://rosewhitemusic.com/piano/writings/triadic-memories/

I was wondering why Aki Takahashi's recording sounds different to others (I have not heard Roger Woodward). These minor intervals being missed in the translation to a typeset score have lasting impact in how the music is perceived. The pianist here illustrates it well in their recording. Oddly I actually prefer it the incorrect way, I don't hear it as harming the rhythm, Feldman's score from his hand sounds more busy. If anyone would like the Takahashi recording feel free to message me, I had to import it from Japan, it's a 30+ year old hard to find CD and as far as I know never been in print again since that issue. I also prefer the slower recordings of this.

[T. D.]

Some interesting reading about Triadic Memories: https://rosewhitemusic.com/piano/writings/triadic-memories/

I was wondering why Aki Takahashi's recording sounds different to others (I have not heard Roger Woodward). These minor intervals being missed in the translation to a typeset score have lasting impact in how the music is perceived. The pianist here illustrates it well in their recording. Oddly I actually prefer it the incorrect way, I don't hear it as harming the rhythm, Feldman's score from his hand sounds more busy. If anyone would like the Takahashi recording feel free to message me, I had to import it from Japan, it's a 30+ year old hard to find CD and as far as I know never been in print again since that issue. I also prefer the slower recordings of this.

Thanks for reminding me of this; came up quite a while back on the forum.

I found the author's argument convincing, but really love the Louis Goldstein recording that's "incorrect", and that incorrectness has really imprinted on me.
Listened to some Takahashi on youtube, put Woodward on watch list but never pursued it further. Will try to find a Woodward recording.

[staxomega]

One correction to my post since it sounds like I liked Aki Takahashi because she is slower, hers is actually one of the brisker ones, so I continue to prefer others. I should have made a new line/new point to clarify that instead of tacking it on at the end of the sentence that was discussing Takahashi.

[Mandryka]

New book

https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781538172278/Morton-Feldman's-Piano-and-String-Quartet-Analysis-Aesthetics-and-Experience-of-a-20th-Century-Masterpiece

The blurb says "Morton Feldman viewed Piano and String Quartet as his capstone work" Does anyone know where idea comes from?

[wind-]

The blurb says "Morton Feldman viewed Piano and String Quartet as his capstone work" Does anyone know where idea comes from?

liner notes of For Bunita Marcus (mode) has this quote but doesn't list an original source.
https://rosewhitemusic.com/piano/writings/morton-feldman-for-bunita-marcus/

A year after For Bunita Marcus, he wrote another piece for her: Piano and String Quartet. He called it "Aki's quintet," and said "I couldn't have written it without her." He further called it "my favorite piece in my whole life.  I could die very happily, now that I wrote the Piano and String Quartet.  It has everything I ever wanted."

[Mandryka]

He certainly liked Aki!


I listened to Tilbury/Smith playing it yesterday, it's a beautiful bit of music. Tilbury makes this comment about Feldman which I thought was fair, in the context of an essay about Howard Skempton's Notti Stellate a Vagli

Rather than expressing a 'form' Skempton's pieces express a state of being, and in this he resembles Morton Feldman. The music creates space and release for both performer and listener, providing an antidote to the congestion that blights our lives; and in this important respect, Skempton, it seems to me, is satisfying a contemporary need.

[staxomega]

I have decided to explore extreme grizzly Feldman. I mean, I am choosing the recorded performances which take the most elapsed time. This is parlty a masochistic whim I think, but also motivated by the thought that the static sections of music, which are my favourite bits, will be special in these extra long interpretations. Today is the turn of this



And so far so good - there are many magic moments -  the cello seems particularly colourful.

I've been listening to this with more frequency. When I first encountered Patterns in a Chromatic Field I found it a bit difficult because of some of the more acerbic cello parts, but I've now broke past that barrier. This is the only performance I've heard but I plan to explore more.

I've also been listening more to Apartment House's recording of Piano and String Quartet, this is maybe one of the intermediate length (or shorter?) performances of it but I still find it extremely successful. Mark Knoop has to be one of the greatest pianists for Feldman's music, his playing is just incredible on this.

[Mandryka]

It's a lovely piece of music, Patterns in a Chromatic Field.

[Mandryka]

I've also been listening more to Apartment House's recording of Piano and String Quartet, this is maybe one of the intermediate length (or shorter?) performances of it but I still find it extremely successful. Mark Knoop has to be one of the greatest pianists for Feldman's music, his playing is just incredible on this.

Yes, but it's not for me, I find the interpretation too much focussed on presenting decorative surfaces - you'll see what I mean maybe if you listen to Smith Quartet.

By the way, here's a Knoop recording I only just found

https://musicwedliketohear.bandcamp.com/album/music-wed-like-to-hear-podcast-2-mark-knoop

[staxomega]

Yes, but it's not for me, I find the interpretation too much focussed on presenting decorative surfaces - you'll see what I mean maybe if you listen to Smith Quartet.

By the way, here's a Knoop recording I only just found

https://musicwedliketohear.bandcamp.com/album/music-wed-like-to-hear-podcast-2-mark-knoop

Indeed, I have Smith/Tilbury on my to buy list. Thanks for that link with Knoop, will listen. Have you heard any other interesting performances of Patterns in a Chromatic Field? Schroeder/de Saram is the only one I've heard.

[Mandryka]

The one with Eclipse Quartet, I remember enjoying that one. I'm not sure I'm saying much really though, the music is so long that in one lifetime it's hard to revisit it often enough to make a really considered judgement about what's going on in a performance. Sometimes you put one on and you're in the mood and so you enjoy, sometimes you're not in the mood.

I haven't heard the Russian live one, and it's a bit too expensive to import from Russia.

https://www.longarms.net/cddetail?id=2196

[milk]

[Mandryka]

To much coffee.

There's a recording of something which sounds suspiciously like Patterns in a Chromatic Field and which is even speedier than that Wergo disc. I rather like it, at the level of sound, even though it's fast, it's cool

[Mandryka]

Piano and Orchestra with Tilbury at the proms

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_gzPtMuKRw&ab_channel=notlookingforNewEngland

[Mandryka]

The Viola in My Life IV -- for viola and orchestra -- has been recorded twice commercially, once by Marek Konstantynowicz on ECM and once by Jesse Levine on EMF (who he?) I can't get on with the Konstantynowicz but I think that the Levine makes it sound like a masterpiece. And Levine takes much much longer about it -- 19 mins as opposed to the Konstantynowicz 14.5, proof if proof were still needed Aesop was not paradoxical at all, the tortoise just wins the race due to better judgement.

[Daverz]