The Complete John Cage Edition, Volume 42
John Cage: A CAGE OF SAXOPHONES VOLS. 3 & 4 – Indeterminacy

Party Pieces (1944/45)  (10:10)
composed with Henry Cowell, Lou Harrison and Virgil Thomson arrangement for saxophone quartet

Four6 (1992) (20:20)
version for amplified saxophone quartet

Cartridge Music (1960)
Eleven Instruments (2005)
instrumental version for: 4 saxes, violin, viola, cello, bass, accordion, piano, percussion

Fontana Mix  (1958) (10:00)
Sextet for low woodwinds  (2005) (15:00)
instrumental version for: bass-flute, contra-bass flute, bass-clarinet, contrabass-clarinet, bass-saxophone, contrabass-saxophone

Fontana Mix  (1958) (10:00)
electronic version (2004), derived from the pieces recorded on a ”Cage of Saxophones, Vols. 1-3”

One7  (1992) (30:00)
version for solo saxophone(s): sopranino, soprano, alto, tenor, baritone & toy saxophones (one performer)

4'33" (1952) [open windows version] (4:33)
version for saxophone trio
4'33" (1952) [studio version] (4:52)
version for saxophone trio

Sculptures Musicales (1989)  (37:01)
version for sax, clarinet, bass-clarinet, accordion, percussion, piano, violin, viola, cello, didjeridu, various wind instruments, amplified objects, electronics

Ulrich Krieger, artistic director, saxophones & instruments

Intersax
and other musicians

Ulrich Krieger completes his A Cage of Saxophones survey of Cage’s works composed for, or which can be played on any instrument or instruments.

For this volume, Krieger combines works specifically composed for saxophone with works of no specified instrumentation that are suited for saxophones and winds.

Most of these are “indeterminate”works, which require the performer to create the realization based on materials supplied by Cage. In some situations, Krieger used Cage’s compositional “tools” to create his own parallel works.

The set includes the only available recording of “Party Pieces”, composed in collaboration with Henry Cowell, Lou Harrison and Virgil Thomson. In “Party Pieces”, one composer would write a bar of music plus two notes, folded the paper at the bar, passing it to the next composer, who would use the two notes as a base for continuing the composition. Composed for any melody or keyboard instruments, Krieger has made a realization for saxophone quartet.

Reviews:

John Cage: The Works for Saxophone 3 & 4

Mit einer Doppelausgabe bringt Ulrich Krieger seinen «CAGE of saxophones» zu einem rundum gelungenem Abschluss. Dass dies im letzten Kapitel besonders gut funktioniert, hat nicht allein mit den flexiblen Vorgaben von John Cage zu tun, sondern viel damit, wie der umtriebige Saxofonist, Klangkünstler, Komponist und Improvisator mit seinem Instrument um­geht, was herzlich wenig mit dem zu tun hat, wie wir das Saxofon normalerweise wahrnehmen.

- Dirk Wieschollek, Neue Zeitschrift für Musik, March 2011

Related Resources:

John CAGE
A Cage of Saxophones 1 — Five; Ryoanji; Four5; Five4; Hymnkus (mode 104)

A Cage of Saxophones 2 — Sonata for 2 Voices; Atlas Eclipticalis; Two; Composition for 3 Voices; Solo for Baritone Sax; other works (mode 160)

Ulrich KRIEGER

Luciano BERIO
Sequenza VIIb on “The Complete Sequenzas, Alternate Sequenzas and Works for Solo Instruments” (mode 161/63, 4-CDs)

Gavin BRYARS
The Marvelous Aphorisms of... (mode 177)