Morton Feldman

Posted by: stephenjohn on 17 January 2002

Hi
I've just bought 'Piano and String Quintet'. Does any one else own this and has any one listened to it all the way through without doing anything else at the sme time?
Steve

Posted on: 17 January 2002 by herm

feldman quintet

I don't think I've heard this one, Steve, but please tell what it's like. Do you mean you were unable to stay listening?

Herm

Posted on: 17 January 2002 by stephenjohn

Hi Herm
It is a single movement piece 79 minutes long, the piano plays a slow series of apegiated chords and the quartet [sorry I said quintet before] slowly plays a series of sutained chords. I have not got past 39 minutes, yet.
Steve

Posted on: 18 January 2002 by herm

hi steve,

yep, that's Morton Feldman, though at 79 minutes it has to be a short minor opus of his. They used to have a Feldman Festival on an island out here, with things like a five-hour string quartet, with miniscule (if any) harmonic of rythmic shifts.

So 39 minutes ain't half bad. I guess as a listener you're not supposed to wait for things to happen. You're rather waiting for things to unhappen. State of mind etc.

Herm

Posted on: 18 January 2002 by stephenjohn

Hi Herm
You're right. I have now listened to all of, whilst driving [if that counts?], and I found my self almost startled when it ended.
Steve