#4420, Three Influential American Composers: Cage, Harrison, Feldman

Hear works from 20th Century American “maverick” composers John Cage, Morton Feldman and Lou Harrison, on this show for piano, violin and piano, and violin, piano, and percussion.

Listen to “In a Landscape” by John Cage – originally written for piano or harp. The open-minded Cage didn’t specifically designate the instrument, and left it open for other interpretations. With that in mind, hear a version of the work for gamelan - Gamelan Pacifica. And a piano version performed by Margaret Leng Tan, recorded in 1991 in the WNYC studio's piano. Elegant in its simplicity, and perhaps inspired by Erik Satie, "In a Landscape" suggests space and perhaps suspended time.

Then, listen to music by Lou Harrison, who was a huge fan of gamelan music, and he even kept one at his northern California home. Harrison incorporated those sounds in works he wrote for western instruments, like the violin, piano, and percussion in his “Varied Trio.” (Lou Harrison and John Cage were friends, and collaborated on a work in the 1930’s called “Double Music.”)

Finally, listen to an excerpt from Morton Feldman’s “For John Cage,” which was a tribute to his friend, as Feldman was part of John Cage’s circle as well. The work unspools at a glacial pace, and feels like stasis, as it raises awareness of space and silence. Listen to an excerpt from a recent recording that features English pianist John Tilbury and Irish violinist Darragh Morgan.

Program #4420, Three Influential American Composers: Cage, Harrison, Feldman (First Aired 10/14/2020)

ARTIST: Gamelan Pacifica
WORK: John Cage: In a Landscape [15:00]
RECORDING: Trance Gong
SOURCE: What Next #0016 / OO Discs / Nonsequitur Foundation
INFO: nseq.org/category/releases

ARTIST: Abel-Steinberg-Winant Trio
WORK: Lou Harrison: Varied Trio [15:00]
RECORDING: La Koro Sutro
SOURCE: New Albion Records #015
INFO: Available at Spotify, and Manufactured on demand from Amazon.com. The work is also available on a different album, 'Set of Five' via Apple Music.

ARTIST: Margaret Leng Tan
WORK: John Cage: In a Landscape [8:07]
RECORDING: WNYC Live, 1991
SOURCE: This performance not commercially available 
INFO: margaretlengtan.com

ARTIST: Darragh Morgan, John Tilbury
WORK: Morton Feldman: For John Cage, excerpt [19:15]
RECORDING: Morton Feldman - For John Cage
SOURCE: Diatribe Records #01
INFO: http://shop.diatribe.ie