Morton Feldman

Image from Willem Verstraeten

Morton Feldman wrote pieces that could be very long, but he often found them too short. The music is like no other music, although you can hear that he loved Webern. His latest composition was recently recorded by Nieuw Amsterdams Peil, the CD will be presented on September 28 in de Vermaning in Zaandam.

Morton Feldman

Dates

Sat 28 Sep19:00 - 21:00

Location

Vermaning

Westzijde 80

1506 EG Zaandam

Contact

visit website

Get tickets from €15

Making music with feeling

Morton Feldman (1926-1987) gave his compositions no form. No movements, no introduction, no build-up, no dance rhythms, repetitions, no finale. Just like Alban Berg, it was said that his music actually had already begun before it began, and continued when it was over. A time landscape, as he himself said.

John Cage, the man of chance music, advised him to trust his intuition completely. What you hear are soft, slowly moving sounds, without hectic motor skills or intense discharges. Dreamy, you could say, but with full concentration and without lulling you to sleep.

Feldman changes the flow of time, does not stop it but lets you experience it differently. During the 2nd string quartet, which lasts more than 5 hours, no one needs to go to the toilet. His pieces are long, but he himself often found them too short.

Nieuw Amsterdams Peil is the ensemble of Heleen Hulst (violin) and Gerard Bouwhuis (piano). In recent months they recorded Feldman's last composition Piano, violin, viola and cello (1987) for the TRPTK label. On www.nieuwehuysconcerten.nl you can find a fascinating interview with both musicians.