Piano Works 1

AMG Review of Piano Works 1

Skip Jansen
All Music Guide

This collection is a recording of short piano works dating as early as 1958 and as late as 1990. Performed by leading John Cage interpreter Steven Drury under the direction of the composer, this is a highly recommended realization of some of the great American composers studies for piano which Mode have produced to a very high standard. Among the releases in label's John Cage edition are outstanding works for string quartet, Freeman Etudes, and orchestral works which are some amongst the best Cage productions on the market. These short piano works range from the oblique Webern-esque miniatures of which John Cage composed literally hundreds, as well as the signature prepared piano techniques, including "Music for Two," which deploys bowing techniques, and "Music Walk," which calls for extra music sounds to be creating in and around the piano during the performance, which can range from the sounds of Steven Drury's voice to the use of transistor radio and the shuffling of furniture.