Composer

:

Morton Feldman

Genre

:

Chamber

Compose Date

:

1987

Average_duration

:

01:11:49

Morton Feldman's "Piano, Violin, Viola, Cello" is a chamber music piece composed in 1987. The piece premiered on October 4, 1987, at the University of Buffalo's Slee Hall, performed by the Kronos Quartet and Aki Takahashi on piano. The piece consists of a single movement that lasts approximately 80 minutes. It is characterized by its slow and quiet nature, with long sustained notes and sparse, delicate textures. The piece is also notable for its use of silence, with extended periods of silence punctuating the music. Feldman's approach to composition in "Piano, Violin, Viola, Cello" is highly intuitive, with the performers given a great deal of freedom in interpreting the score. The piece is notated in a highly abstract manner, with few traditional musical markings such as dynamics or tempo indications. Instead, the performers are given a series of musical fragments and gestures, which they are free to interpret and develop as they see fit. Despite its unconventional approach to composition, "Piano, Violin, Viola, Cello" has become a highly regarded work in the contemporary classical music canon. Its use of silence and delicate textures has been influential on subsequent generations of composers, and it remains a challenging and rewarding work for performers and listeners alike.

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