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John Cage - Freeman Etudes - Books Three And Four (1994)

Track listing:
  1. Full Cd In Ape With Cue 51:09
  2. Etude 17 3:09
  3. Etude 18 3:12
  4. Etude 19 3:12
  5. Etude 20 3:09
  6. Etude 21 3:18
  7. Etude 22 3:07
  8. Etude 23 3:10
  9. Etude 24 3:12
  10. Etude 25 3:17
  11. Etude 26 3:08
  12. Etude 27 3:11
  13. Etude 28 3:05
  14. Etude 29 3:14
  15. Etude 30 3:17
  16. Etude 31 3:13
  17. Etude 32 3:06

Notes


Freeman Etudes, Books 3 and 4

Irvine Arditti, violin


This CD presents the first recording of the second half of John Cage's Freeman Etudes for violin. Those familiar with the previously-released volume of this work will already know what to expect: the bewildering complexity of the Etudes and the astonishing virtuosity of Irvine Arditti's performance.
Convinced that the later, more complex etudes were unplayable, Cage abandoned work on the Freeman Etudes in 1980, after completing the first sixteen and beginning the eighteenth Etude. It wasn't until 1990, after hearing Irvine Arditti's blistering performances that Cage was encouraged to complete the cycle with the last two books of sixteen etudes. Considering his role in the history of the Freeman Etudes, it is only fitting that Arditti should be the first to record them.

This is the second release with Irvine Arditti in his traversal of The Complete Works for Violin by John Cage for Mode Records.
Released 1989.

Reviews:

"This is, quite simply, one of the great violin performances on disc. In splendid sound, the release offers a major contribution to recordings of contemporary music."
---Heuwell Tircuit; InTune Magazine (issue 2/15, 1993)