Friday, January 24, 2020

ENSEMBLE MUSICA NEGATIVA ‎– Music Before Revolution (Odeon-EMI/4LP-1972)




Label: Odeon/EMI Electrola ‎– 1C 165-28954/7
Format: 4 × Vinyl, LP, Compilation, Box Set / Country: Germany / Released: 1972
Style: Contemporary, Experimental, Interview
Engineer [Recording] – Johann Nikolaus Matthes, Kurt Lorbach
Liner Notes – Heinz-Klaus Metzger
Producer [Recording] – Lieselotte Montes-Baquer
Matrix / Runout (Runout, side 1, stamped): 1C 165-28 954/7 Y – LP1- A
Matrix / Runout (Runout, side 2, stamped): 1C 165-28 954/7 Y – LP1- B
Matrix / Runout (Runout, side 3, stamped): 1C 165-28 954/7 Y – LP2 - C
Matrix / Runout (Runout, side 4, stamped): 1C 165-28 954/7 Y – LP2 - D
Matrix / Runout (Runout, side 5, stamped): 1C 165-28 954/7 Y – LP3 - E
Matrix / Runout (Runout, side 6, stamped): 1C 165-28 954/7 Y – LP3 - F
Matrix / Runout (Runout, side 7, stamped): 1C 165-28 954/7 Y – LP4 - G
Matrix / Runout (Runout, side 8, stamped): 1C 165-28 954/7 Y – LP4 – H

Please note, many Odeon issues also carry an EMI logo. It indicates that Odeon was part of the EMI Group.

side 1:
A1 - John Cage: Credo in Us ........................................................................................ 16:10
A2 - John Cage: Imaginary Landscape No.1 .................................................................. 7:35
        Orchestra – Ensemble Musica Negativa
        Conductor – Rainer Riehn
        Percussion – Burkhard Wissemann, Michael Dietz
        Piano – Christoph Keller
        Turntables [Phonograph], Electronics [Radio] – Johann Nikolaus Matthes

side 2:
B1 - John Cage: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra / Solo For Voice I-II .................... 18:00
B2 - John Cage: Rozart Mix .......................................................................................... 7:20
        Orchestra – Ensemble Musica Negativa
        Conductor – Rainer Riehn
        Piano – Hermann Danuser
        Voice – Bell Imhoff, Doris Sandrock

side 3:
C  -  Earle Brown: Folio ................................................................................................ 23:40
        Ca - October 1952, Cb - November 1952, Cd - December 1952, Ce - MM-87,
        Cf - MM-135 March 1953, Cg - Music for "Trio for Five Dancers" June 1953
        Orchestra – Ensemble Musica Negativa
        Conductor – Rainer Riehn, Earle Brown
        Piano – Hermann Danuser

side 4:
D1  -  Earle Brown: Four Systems .................................................................................. 6:51
D2a - Christian Wolff: In Between Pieces For Three Players I ...................................... 8:50
D2b - Christian Wolff: In Between Pieces For Three Players II ...................................... 4:30
D3  -  Christian Wolff: Electric Spring 2 .......................................................................... 6:45
          Orchestra – Ensemble Musica Negativa
          Conductor – Earle Brown
          Cello – Wilhelm Schulz
          Double Bass, El. Bass Guitar – Timm-Johannes Trappe
          Organ – Gerhard Stäbler
          Guitar [Electric] – Jörg Trappe
          Recorder – Rainer Riehn
          Trombone – Bernt Laukamp

John Cage, Morton Feldman, Earle Brown, Heinz-Klaus Metzger
Christian Wolff, Toshi Ichiyanagi

side 5:
E1 - Morton Feldman: For Franz Kline ......................................................................... 11:20
E2 - Morton Feldman: The Straits of Magellan .............................................................. 5:12
E3 - Morton Feldman: Between Categories ................................................................. 12:15
        Conductor – Rainer Riehn
        Cello – Frank Wolff, Wilhelm Schulz
        Chimes – Michael Dietz, Burkhard Wissemann
        Horn – Jakob Hefti
        Piano – Heinz-Klaus Metzger, Christoph Keller, Morton Feldman
        Soprano Vocals – Bell Imhoff
        Violin – Ulf Klausenitzer, Hans-Peter Friedrich
        Double Bass – Timm-Johannes Trappe
        Flute – Karlheinz Wiberny
        Guitar [El.] – Klaus-Ulrich Dorn
        Harp – Brigitte Deshais du Portail-Sylvestre
        Trumpet – Paul Knill

side 6:
F1 - Toshi Ichiyanagi: Sapporo .................................................................................... 13:56
F2 - Toshi Ichiyanagi: Life Music ................................................................................. 14:22
        Orchestra – Ensemble Musica Negativa
        Conductor – Rainer Riehn

side 7:
G  -  Conversations with John Cage, Christian Wolff, Hans G Helms ......................... 26:00

side 8:
H  -  Morton Feldman, Earle Brown, Heinz-Klaus Metzger in discussion .................... 28:30



VERY RARE BOX SET
Excellent and highly sought after recordings of these seldom seen contemporary works featuring ENSEMBLE MUSICA NEGATIVA with conductets by RAINER RIEN & EARLE BROWN. EMI Electrola gold label, first German release. 4LP box set complete with two inserts.
The set includes a booklet and a transcript (English and German) of conversations and discussions on LP 4 (sides G / H).




Note:
Toshi Ichiyanagi  I 1st heard his music on the "Music Before Revolution" box-set in 1972, then in 1975 as part of "Extended Voices". Both were extremely important to me. The 2 pieces on the box-set, "Sapporo" & "Life Music" were almost completely unlike anything I'd ever heard before. They sounded like some sort of primordial playpen where almost every sound seemed on the fringe of technique. - like the sounds were just coming into being They were unpredictable & very, very alive.
Ichiyanagi studied with both Henry Cowell & John Cage, presumably at the New School for Social Research in NYC.

Incredible recording. Enjoy!



If you find it, buy this album!