1. IANNIS XENAKIS (b.1922)
Psappha (1976) 16:02
2. MORTON FELDMAN (b.1926-87)
The King of Denmark (1964) 5:38 First CD release
3. NILS VIGELAND (b.1950)
Progress (1984) 21:41 First recording
4. JOHN CAGE (b.1912-1992)
Music for Four (1984) 14:46 First recording*
5. PER NØRGÅRD (b.1922)
Waves (1969) 11:20
6. HENRY MANCINI (b.1924-1995)
Theme from Peter Gunn (1976) 5:10 First recording*
* with Kory Grossman, Christopher Nappi and William Trigg, percussion
Arranged for percussion quartet by Michael Pugliese
Some of the finest major works for percussion collected on one disc for the first time. Former Merce Cunningham DanceCompany percussionist Michael Pugliese’s recital was recorded live with its raw energy in spectacular sound. The programbegins with Xenakis’ ominous, virtuostic Psappha for solo percussion, making vivid contrast to Feldman’s The King of Denmark, a delicately detailed work played piannisimo throughout. Vigeland’s Progress sets Pugliese’slive performance against a backdrop of taped percussion sounds, with bursts of pitched and non-pitched percussion soundsstanding out against a layer of shimmering, harmonically elusive marimba figures. Cage’s Music for Four, scoredfor four percussionists playing over 200 instruments, received its world premiere at the concert. Nørgård’sWaves builds pulsating waves of sounds from congas, almglocken, tam-tams, cymbals and the bouncing of rubber ballson timpani. The recital climaxes with Pugliese’s arrangement of the classic Mancini TV-theme for PETER GUNN for fourpercussionists, of which Allan Kozinn of the New York Times said: “…(an) astonishingly vital, amusing and rambunctiousarrangement.” 76 minutes of music!