Six Melodies (1950) (2:40, 1:34, 2:11, 2:43, 1:31, 1:56)
for violin & keyboard
Nocturne (1947) (3:30)
for violin & piano
Eight Whiskus (1985) (1:00, 00:45, 00:46, 00:32, 00:41, 00:57, 00:52, 00:46)
for violin
Two6 (1992) (19:56)
for violin & piano
One10 (1992) (24:36)
for violin
Irvine Arditti, violin
Stephen Drury, piano
John Cage especially requested that Irvine Arditti team with Stephen Drury, one of Cage’s favorite pianists, for these works believing that they would be the “perfect” interpreters. Mode celebrates our 100th release with this special disc.
Volume 4 of Irvine Arditti’s masterful traversal of the complete works for violin by Cage combines two of his beautiful early pieces for violin and piano along with Two6, also for violin and piano; and two later works for violin solo.
An overlooked gem in Cage’s early style, the Nocturne receives a rare CD recording here. The beguiling 6 Melodies is an insistently simple work in which the violin must play (as in much of Cage’s music for violin) without vibrato. Its exotic quality is as hypnotic as an Indian raga. Together, these two works offer a wonderful, appealing introduction for the uninitiated to Cage’s music.