Premiered in 1948, Sonatas and Interludes was John Cage's magnum opus for the prepared piano; Maro Ajemian's 1951 recording for Dial Records was only one made of the whole work for nearly 30 years. Since 1977 at least a dozen more have appeared, providing a sense that the Sonatas and Interludes have finally "arrived" as a standard-repertoire piece. Music and Arts' John Cage: Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano featuring pianist Julie Steinberg was originally released in 1996, and has the benefit of being performed on ...
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Premiered in 1948, Sonatas and Interludes was John Cage's magnum opus for the prepared piano; Maro Ajemian's 1951 recording for Dial Records was only one made of the whole work for nearly 30 years. Since 1977 at least a dozen more have appeared, providing a sense that the Sonatas and Interludes have finally "arrived" as a standard-repertoire piece. Music and Arts' John Cage: Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano featuring pianist Julie Steinberg was originally released in 1996, and has the benefit of being performed on an "original instrument," a nine-foot Steinway "O" concert grand of the kind used by Maro Ajemian in the earliest performances of the work. The producer/engineer of this disc, Maggi Payne, is herself a composer, and has gone out of her way to make every tiny nuance of this instrument ring true. More of Cage's preparation may be heard in this recording of the Sonatas and Interludes than in any other, down to the ringing, ethereal sounds that hang in the air long after a given note is...
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