MORTON FELDMAN : Something Wild : Music for Film (Ensemble Recherche) (2002) Two Version | APE + FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

While it might not come as a complete surprise that Morton Feldman composed some music for cinema, it may well shock fans of his work to realize how far he was willing to adapt to the needs of the film. This disc, beautifully performed by the Ensemble Recherche, contains seven soundtracks dating from 1950 to 1981. The two written as accompaniment for documentaries on the painters Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning, from 1950 and 1963, respectively, fall very much in line with Feldman's other output from those periods. The former is static and pointillistic, while the latter is a gorgeous example of notes hung in space that clearly point toward his later masterworks for small groups of instruments. But the disc starts off with a short piece written for the 1960 film, Something Wild in the City, by Jack Garfein (though it was never used). Scored for horn, celesta, and string quartet, its eerie lullaby nature foreshadows the sort of warped children's song used in 1980s horror films, as well as some of John Zorn's '90s soundtrack work. Even wilder, the music for Samoa and The Sin of Jesus is replete with brass fanfares, crescendi, drastic fluctuations of dynamics, and all manner of devices that one rarely associates with this composer. Better still, they're lots of fun. "Untitled Film Music," from 1960, even utilizes a decidedly jazzy double bass. Despite his reputation for extreme aestheticism, it's obvious that Feldman was, at least on occasion, willing to bend to more populist requirements. A singular entry in his oeuvre, this disc is required listening for anyone wanting a complete picture of this great composer. Peter Niklas Wilson provides some excellent and informative liner notes. Brian Olewnick
MORTON FELDMAN (1926-1987)
1.    Something Wild In The City: Mary Ann's Theme 2:59
Violin – Anikó Szathmary
2-8.    Jackson Pollock    6:42
9-13. Samoa    10:52
14.    For Aaron Copland    5:13
15-22.  The Sin Of Jesus    13:12
23-32.   [Untitled Film Music]    7:48
33.    De Kooning    12:01
Credits :
Artwork [Cover Artwork] – Jakob Gasteiger
Cello [Violoncello] – Lucas Fels, Tobias Moster (tracks: 2 to 8)
Double Bass – Jürgen Faller
Ensemble – ensemble recherche
Flute – Martin Fahlenbock
French Horn – John Stobart
Harp – Charlotte Balzereit
Percussion – Christian Dierstein
Piano, Celesta – Klaus Steffes-Holländer
Trombone – Andrew Digby
Trumpet – Markus Schwind
Tuba – Klaus Burger
Viola – Barbara Maurer
Violin – Melise Mellinger

MORTON FELDMAN : Routine Investigations (Ensemble Recherche) (1994) Ensemble Recherche Edition – 1 Series | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

These five works, written between 1970 and 1976, date from that critical period in Morton Feldman's career when the composer began notating rhythm precisely (as opposed to his earlier experimental work with graphic notation and the floating sonorities of the Durations series) and reintroducing melody, especially in "The Viola in My Life," a series of four works (the first two of which are included here) written for violist Karen Phillips. Barbara Maurer's execution of these delicate wisps of melody trailing off into space is exemplary, as are all the performances by Freiburg's Ensemble Recherche. Each of these extraordinary works creates its own personal universe in terms of both material and instrumentation, from the romanticism (lowercase r) of the "Viola" pieces to the ghostly percussion of "For Frank O'Hara" (which contains that most rare of events in Feldman's music, a shattering fortissimo crescendo on snare drum -- once heard, never forgotten), and apart from setting the stage for his long late (post-1981) pieces, they together offer irrefutable proof that Feldman almost single-handedly restored intuition to American experimental music. As Kyle Gann astutely notes in his brief accompanying essay, "Feldman rescued subjectivity from bad faith." Essential listening. Dan Warburton  
MORTON FELDMAN (1926-1987)
1.    Routine Investigations 7:25
Double Bass – Daniel Mehltretter
Oboe – Peter Veale
Trumpet [Trompet] – Klaus Schuhwerk
2.    The Viola In My Life II    11:22
3.    For Frank O'Hara 17:32
Percussion – Edith Salmen-Weber
4.    The Viola In My Life I    11:47
5.    I Met Heine On The Rue Fürstenberg 11:32
Voice – Annette Nödinger
Credits :
Cello [Violoncello] – Lucas Fels
Clarinet – Uwe Möckel (tracks: 2, 3, 5)
Flute – Martin Fahlenbock
Percussion – Christian Dierstein (tracks: 2 to 4)
Performer – Ensemble Recherche
Piano – Sven Thomas Kiebler (tracks: 1, 3 to 5)
Viola – Barbara Maurer (tracks: 1, 2, 4)
Violin – Melise Mellinger (tracks: 2 to 5)
Notas :
"Routine Investigations" for oboe, trompet, piano, viola, cello, double-bass [1976]
"The Viola In My Life II" for solo viola, flute, clarinet, percussion, celesta, violin, cello [1970]
"For Frank O'Hara" for flute (also piccolo and alt), clarinet, 2 percussionist, piano, violin, cello [1973]
"The Viola In My Life I" for solo viola, flute, percussion, piano, violin, cello [1970]
"I Met Heine On The Rue Fürstenberg" for flute (also piccolo), clarinet (also bass), percussion, piano, mezzo-soprano, violin, cello [1971] 

MORTON FELDMAN : Rothko Chapel · Why Patterns? (1994) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This CD presents two of Morton Feldman's most fascinating compositions, and both are given fine performances. In its tableau structure and austere treatment of melody, harmony, and color, Rothko Chapel is a musical analog of the paintings of Mark Rothko, displayed in the Houston chapel where this piece was premiered. Feldman's sonorities are soft and frequently recede into silences that are carefully spaced throughout. The music is often sparse, especially in the unaccompanied phrases for the viola and the isolated passages in the percussion. Yet when Feldman's harmony is at its densest, as in the choir's sustained block chords, the effect is mysteriously shimmering and not at all harsh. Somber and reflective, Rothko Chapel is best heard in a quiet room without distractions. Why Patterns? is less dependent on stillness for appreciation, though the intricately woven lines of flute, piano, and glockenspiel may induce a similarly contemplative feeling. The independence of the parts leads not to chaos, but instead creates constantly shifting textures and relationships, freely recycling the patterns without recourse to an externally imposed method. Feldman's intuitive approach to pitch structures and linear flow lets the music pursue its course naturally, without the mannered gestures of serialism or the accidents of improvisation. Blair Sanderson 
MORTON FELDMAN (1926-1987)
1-5.    Rothko Chapel    (24:01)
6.    Why Patterns? (29:26)
Flute – Dorothy Stone
Glockenspiel – Arthur Jarvinen
Performer – The California EAR Unit*
Piano – Gaylord Mowrey*
Producer – Foster Reed, Joan La Barbara
Producer [Assisting] – Mike Wilpizeski, Phyllis Oyama, Tricia Skennion
All Credits :

MORTON FELDMAN : Crippled Symmetry (Dietmar Wiesner · Markus Hinterhäuser · Robyn Schulkowsky) 2CD-SET (1994) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

MORTON FELDMAN (1926-1987)
1-1.    Crippled Symmetry    39:00
2-1.    Crippled Symmetry (Continued)    55:15
Credits :
Flute [Flöte], Bass Flute [Baßflöte] – Dietmar Wiesner
Piano [Klavier], Celesta – Markus Hinterhäuser
Vibraphone, Glockenspiel – Robyn Schulkowsky

MORTON FELDMAN : Why Patterns? Crippled Symmetry (Nils Vigeland · Eberhard Blum · Jan Williams) 2CD-SET (1991) hat NOW Series Two Version | APE + FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

This double-disc collection of Morton Feldman's late-period work brings together two of his own most cherished pieces, both in the longer style that became his working method for the last 17 years of his life. Why Patterns? from 1978 is a work for flute, glockenspiel, and piano. It was inspired by Feldman's deep fascination with Persian rugs and their methods of creation. He discovered that there was an inexactitude in many of them that made the final product appear more mysterious and allowed for a deeper gaze on the part of the viewer. In true fashion, Feldman followed this course in creating a composition that followed suit. It consists of a large variety of patterns and is notated separately for each instrument. The trickiness is that in the score, the three parts don't coordinate or link up until very late in the score. The notation is close but is never synchronized, and it allows for more elaborate and chance relationships to develop in harmony, timbre, and color. Nothing given to one instrument is interchangeable, and the patterns, too, have their complications in that some repeat exactly and others with slight variations. Feldman creates a floating music that touches referent points seemingly only by chance, and intersects patterns at intervals that allow the listener a deeper mystery to contemplate. Crippled Symmetry is from 1983 and is one of Feldman's true masterpieces. Also written for flute, piano, and glockenspiel, it is notated as well for the inclusion of vibraphone and celesta. This work is over 90 minutes in length. It begins as a series of symmetrical statements by the percussion instruments and a phrase by the flutes that become interchangeable throughout the score's notation. Timbres and dynamics are in an arresting conflict with one another as the instruments struggle, seemingly, throughout the work for a kind of dynamic range that Feldman never allows to establish itself. Everything is played so softly and tentatively that a beautiful but defined dramatic tension is created by the nature of restraint itself. The glockenspiel and celesta hover about the irregular heartbeats of the vibraphone, which changes its patterns only three times in the course of the work but establishes a timbral superiority. Flutes take one line from the piano, one from the glock, and one from the celesta and cover all territories and patterns in the work as the piano creates minor triads that mysteriously shift emphasis from one interval to the next. What is symmetrical here is the constancy of movement -- its gentle, quiet, understated shifting of patterns and harmonic consonances. What is crippled is the strategy of the composer who creates these relationships among instruments and their tonal balances only to cancel them out gradually in favor of imbalances that must again work to create symmetry. This was Feldman's genius, never assuming anything about harmonic totality or tonal regularities. All tones in his work were ambiguities waiting to be encountered and entered into relationship with, however briefly. The three performers here, Jan Williams (glockenspiel and vibraphone), Nils Vigeland (piano and celesta), and Eberhard Blum (flutes), are intimately familiar with Feldman's notions about the mysterious nature of sonic encounter and (im)balances. They worked with him and were taught by him. They bring about a truly balanced and deeply nuanced reading of this work. And, as usual, Hat's recording quality is over the top. This two-disc set is still the watermark of definitive performance for these works, though many others have been attempted. 
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MORTON FELDMAN (1926-1987)
1-1.    Why Patterns?    31:20
1-2.    Crippled Symmetry    26:00
2-1.    Crippled Symmetry (Continued)    1:05:13
Credits :
Flute, Alto Flute, Bass Flute – Eberhard Blum
Glockenspiel, Vibraphone – Jan Williams
Piano, Celesta – Nils Vigeland