Feldman’s last work, Piano, Violin, Viola, Cello displays the qualities of the “late style”: complete mastery, utter assurance, and a kind of luminous melancholy. Like Palais de Mari, written a year earlier, it unfolds at a leisurely pace, with similar uses of repetition and recurrence, gentle rocking figures, and a somewhat restricted range. The measured unfolding of the material, without emphasis on dramatic contrast or large fluctuations in the rate of change, enables the listener to focus on the work’s many subtle and beguiling details.
Reviews:
“Feldman’s final composition reminds me of the incredible beauty of the music and also of its unassuming metrical complexity. Karis colors the harmonies exquisitely, rendering each one more lovely and sonorous than the last. The sound is exquisite. A must-have.” - American Record Guide
“Throughout, piano and strings operate together as an integrated unit, seeming to think, move, inhale and exhale as one. Altogether, it makes a beguiling listening experience. With time and effort, it is possible to maintain focus, whereupon the true beauty of the piece reveals itself, more and more with each new listening. An important and valuable addition.” - All About Jazz
“The genius of Feldman’s late music is its ability to perch on the thin line between stasis and development: evolving slowly enough to seem immobile; quickly enough to hold the listener in thrall.” - I CARE IF YOU LISTEN
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Morton Feldman:
Piano, Violin, Viola, Cello (1987)
Aleck Karis, piano
Curtis Macomber, violin
Danielle Farina, viola
Christopher Finckel, cello
BRIDGE 9446
Related Feldman discs:
9498, 9420, 9369, 9279A/C, 9092A/B, 9078A/D
Related Karis discs: