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Morton Feldman


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To be in the silence
Morton Feldman and painting
by Mats Persson

Reminds me of the story of Stefan Wolpe who was Feldman's teacher to think of the man on the street....and they look down from the office window and see Jackson Pollock crossing the street.

P.S. My anti-virus keeps saying there is a threat from that site and won't let me see it.

Edited by Blue Train
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To be in the silence
Morton Feldman and painting
by Mats Persson

Reminds me of the story of Stefan Wolpe who was Feldman's teacher to think of the man on the street....and they look down from the office window and see Jackson Pollock crossing the street.

It should remind you of the story, since it's told in that article.

Feldman knew Pollock's paintings but didn't meet him until 1951. In a wonderful little anecdote, Feldman tells of how, earlier, during his time studying with Stefan Wolpe, he came indirectly in contact with Pollock. Wolpe, who thought Feldman's music was too esoteric, was studying one of his scores one day, talking about the necessity of taking into account the "man in the street" - "Do you never consider the man in the street?" he asked. Feldman was standing by the window and looked out. Who should he see but Jackson Pollock! Since then the man in the street has always been Jackson Pollock for me.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Finally had a chance to listen to all 3 CDs seriatim. I like the way they are sequence: early, middle, late. One of Feldman's attractions for me is how he like to occupy that space between the subliminal and the sublime. Anyway, wonderfully performed:

1488282.jpg

I didn't get that one when it was in print. Looks interesting.

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The 3 pieces by Feldman are: Intersection 2 (1951); King of Denmark (1964); Intersection 3 (1953). New to me. The nice thing about this disc is that the pieces are arranged contextually ad/or chronologically rather than by composer, so that one can see the relationships (and counter-relationships) at work. So the CD is programmed to move among the compositions. Anyway, I found it interesting.

Wanted to add that beside our esteemed Feldman, I am invariably impressed by the work of Earle Brown. The Brown pieces on this disc are first-rate. Any other Earle Brown fans?

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Edited by Leeway
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  • 1 month later...

Wanted to add that beside our esteemed Feldman, I am invariably impressed by the work of Earle Brown. The Brown pieces on this disc are first-rate. Any other Earle Brown fans?

Earl never really grabbed my ear. Every once in a while I'll try again.

I have those three NY School albums. I'll give them a spin this week end.

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  • 9 months later...
  • 1 month later...

Hm, not sure how someone like Feldman can generate angst - the music is so..........

I have since invested in several more titles, Sub Rosa have some good ones I've purchased. The major work I got was his 2nd String Quartet, which at five hours long is something you really have to commit to. I had a choice of buying the DVD-A version, or the CD version. One of course plays right through, the other you have to change every now and then. I opted for the CD, figuring a break wouldn't be such a bad idea.

I am definitely a fan of minimalism, although it's a long way from being my only passion (Reich's Music for 18 Musicians is coming to the island with me along with LeMonte Young's Well Tuned Piano). I'm also reminded that once heard, you own a bit of the music. That is, once it's left the composers mind and found its way before a performer, he gives up a bit of the work, and we fill in what we want. As such, I might thoroughly love String Quartet No. 2, and someone else might dislike it. To ME, it's beguiling, but that doesn't take away anything from any other performer. As such, I'm not sure it matters all that much whether Mr. Feldman was the real deal or just having us on. I mean, there are plenty of John Cage experiments I enjoy, but I accept they probably weren't meant to be over-analyzed, or even listened to in perpetuity. I do it anyway.

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Hm, not sure how someone like Feldman can generate angst - the music is so..........

I have since invested in several more titles, Sub Rosa have some good ones I've purchased. The major work I got was his 2nd String Quartet, which at five hours long is something you really have to commit to. I had a choice of buying the DVD-A version, or the CD version. One of course plays right through, the other you have to change every now and then. I opted for the CD, figuring a break wouldn't be such a bad idea.

There's a big difference in fidelity too.

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