MORTON FELDMAN : Patterns In A Chromatic Field (Rohan de Saram · Marianne Schroeder) 2CD-SET (1995) hat NOW Series | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Morton Feldman's gargantuan Patterns in a Chromatic Field is, of all his works, his most self-explanatory. Over 105 minutes, Feldman constructs a sound world where half-tones are given free rein of expression outside the realm of keys assigned. A chromatic scale is 12 half-tones in an octave on the piano. But to Feldman and his performers here -- the truly gifted Marianne Schroeder on piano and Rohan DeSaram on violoncello -- the entire notion of chromatic harmony itself is the playing field. This is one of Feldman's most active works, where clusters and patterns of chromatic architecture emanate from outside other structures -- chords in major and minor keys -- employed as decoys. They are there simply to displace them and establish chromatic harmony as dominant in the relationship between tones in the Western overtone scale. There are periods where one of the instruments will drop out, such as near the middle of the first section when Schroeder all but disappears, leaving DeSaram to continue in chromatic regimen -- until she re-enters like a ghost, sparingly, playing the very chords he's been outside of the entire time. They are a referent to what was, not what is. All solidity in musical concept here falls away into repetitions of notes and oddly angled chords that simply "don't belong." Over the long period of time Feldman has given to familiarize them to the pattern system, they take on their own notion of stark yet pronounced beauty. And while it is true that there is no melody in this work, there does develop, in the manner in which Feldman engages his field of language with chromaticism of scale and harmony, a "melodic sensibility" in the spaces where conflict and non-engagement take place. This is, in the Feldman canon, a work of tremendous rigor and effort to sustain ideas within a restricted tonal environment and create a wider, freer musical language from it was -- a new watermark for a composer who had already crested many. Patterns in a Chromatic Field is among Feldman's most significant and enduring works, and perhaps more    
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MORTON FELDMAN (1926-1987)
1-1.    Patterns In A Chromatic Field    28:04
1-2.    Patterns In A Chromatic Field    29:54
2-1.    Patterns In A Chromatic Field (Continued)    22:11
2-2.    Patterns In A Chromatic Field (Continued)    25:09
Credits :
Violoncello – Rohan de Saram
Piano – Marianne Schroeder

MORTON FELDMAN : Patterns In A Chromatic Field (Arne Deforce · Yutaka Oya) 2CD-SET (2008) Two Version | FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

"For me sound was the hero, and it still is. I feel that I am subservient. I feel that I listen to my sounds, and I do what they tell me, not what I tell them. Because I owe my life to these sounds. Right? They gave me life." - Morton Feldman 
MORTON FELDMAN (1926-1987)
1-1.    Patterns In A Chromatic Field (1:28:04)
2-4.     P 30-P 42
2-5.    Projection I    2:52
2-6.    Composition - 8 Little Pieces    4:18
2-7.    Intersection IV    3:08
2-8.    Duration II    6:03
Credits :
Cello – Arne Deforce
Piano – Yutaka Oya (tracks: 1-1 to 2-4, 2-6, 2-8)

MORTON FELDMAN : Patterns In A Chromatic Field (Charles Curtis · Aleck Karis) (1996) Composer Series | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

A daunting test of the performers' concentration, control, and endurance, Morton Feldman's Patterns in a Chromatic Field for cello and piano is one of the most intricate chamber works of his late period. Composed in 1981, the year Feldman wrote the vast Triadic Memories for solo piano, Patterns in a Chromatic Field shares that work's expansiveness and some of its subdued coloration, but goes beyond it in terms of rhythmic activity and variety of combinations. Feldman's small, interlocking gestures -- inspired by designs in Asian carpets -- are spun out through a convoluted process of repetition, layering, and alternation with contrasting sonorities and shapes, and these juxtaposed figures cycle over 80 minutes to mesmerizing effect. This 2004 release features cellist Charles Curtis and pianist Aleck Karis, who follow the score as precisely as possible (in light of Feldman's puzzling microtonal notation), and they sustain the work's air of mystery with expectant, hushed playing. Instead of conventional liner notes, the booklet provides insightful quotations from Feldman on his work and the sources of his inspiration, a valuable aid because his explanations of his concepts are pertinent and revealing. Tzadik's sound is fine, but a little close to the musicians, so this CD should be played at a moderate volume for best enjoyment Blair Sanderson    

MORTON FELDMAN (1926-1987)
1.    Patterns In A Chromatic Field (1981)    1:20:44
Cello – Charles Curtis
Piano – Aleck Karis

MORTON FELDMAN : Piano And String Quartet (Kronos Quartet with Aki Takahashi) (1993) Two Version | APE + FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

New York native and avant-garde composer Morton Feldman composed this work just two years before his death in 1987, and it haunts the listener into a prism of melancholy. Shifting, unsettling, and yet every bit hypnotic, pianist Aki Takahashi and the world-renowned Kronos Quartet conjure up the ghost of Feldman to wander the streets of New York as if they were abandoned. This single piece, over 79 minutes in length, is like an icy flower that blooms almost undetected. Takahashi is so delicate on the piano as to whisper quiet clusters of notes, reverberated by the Kronos Quartet for further contemplation. Feldman often preferred his performances and recordings to be very quiet, almost inaudible at times. Truly, it would make no sense to play a Feldman piece at volume ten on the stereo -- it would be like shining huge spotlights on a Rothko painting. The beauty is in the shadows, and the chill of "Piano and String Quartet" opens it's vast arms and pulls the listener in alongside the darkness. Breathtaking. Glenn Swan
MORTON FELDMAN (1926-1987)
1.    Piano And String Quartet (1:19:33)
Credits :
Piano – Aki Takahashi
Ensemble – Kronos Quartet :
Cello – Joan Jeanrenaud
Viola – Hank Dutt
Violin – David Harrington, John Sherba

MORTON FELDMAN : Piano And String Quartet (Ives Ensemble) (2001) Two Version | APE + FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

MORTON FELDMAN (1926-1987)
1-3.    Piano And String Quartet (1985)
Ives Ensemble :
Cello – Job Ter Haar
Piano – John Snijders
Viola – Ruben Sanderse
Violin – Janneke Van Prooijen, Josje Ter Haar