Composer: John Cage
Works: Music of Changes (1951)
Performers: Steffen Schleiermacher (piano)
Recording: Fürstliche Reitbahn Arolsen, October 24th-27th, 1997
Label: Dabringhaus und Grimm Scene MDG613 0785-2 [DDD] [54’40]
John Cage’s Music of Changes marks a pivotal moment in the evolution of post-war avant-garde music, reflecting a radical departure from traditional compositional techniques. Completed in 1951, the work employs the I Ching as a generative tool, utilizing its sixty-four hexagrams to dictate musical parameters such as pitch, duration, and dynamics. This piece was a significant collaboration with the pianist David Tudor, who was pivotal in the dissemination of Cage’s revolutionary ideas. The historical context surrounding Music of Changes cannot be overlooked, as Cage was not only conversing with contemporaries like Pierre Boulez but also responding to the burgeoning serialist movement with his own unique idiom centered around chance and indeterminacy.
Steffen Schleiermacher’s interpretation of Music of Changes in this recording offers a fresh perspective that prioritizes clarity and transparency. By deliberately reducing the tempo markings, particularly in the first two books, Schleiermacher creates an interpretative space that allows the listener to engage more deeply with the intricate textures and silences inherent in Cage’s writing. The First Part, with its whimsical and capricious character, is handled with a light touch, making the fleeting gestures of sound feel almost conversational. The subsequent Second Part, sprawling at nearly twenty-five minutes, becomes a meditative exploration of silence and sound, where the sparing use of plucked strings emerges as a striking counterpoint to the piano’s more conventional timbres. This emphasis on transparency reveals the underlying architecture of the piece, encouraging the audience to appreciate the subtle shifts in dynamics and the spatial relationships between notes.
The recording quality itself is commendable, with a well-balanced sound stage that captures the nuances of Schleiermacher’s performance. The acoustic environment of Fürstliche Reitbahn Arolsen enhances the clarity of each note, allowing for a pleasing resonance that complements the work’s explorative nature. The engineering choices ensure that the listener can discern the delicate interplay between silence and sound, a hallmark of Cage’s aesthetic. When compared to other notable recordings, such as those by Tudor or the later interpretations by contemporary pianists, Schleiermacher’s approach stands out for its insistence on a reflective engagement with the music, rather than merely a technical display of virtuosity.
As the listener traverses the expansive sound world of Music of Changes, it becomes evident that Schleiermacher not only meets the demands of Cage’s complex score but also invites us into an adventurous auditory experience. The cumulative effect of his interpretative choices—temporal manipulations, attention to detail, and the judicious inclusion of extraneous sounds—profoundly enriches the listening experience. Schleiermacher’s performance is a testament to the enduring challenge and allure of Cage’s music, compelling both the hearer and performer to embark on a journey of concentration and exploration that is as rewarding as it is demanding.
