Complete Works for Multiple Piano

In the 1950s, American composer Morton Feldman (1926–1987) developed his own unique, meditative style of music, combining open, quasi-functional sounds into a musical flow. His works generally do not follow any formal concept; they are slow, calm, sometimes very extended sound meditations, mostly moving in the finest piano-pianissimo nuances.

With these recordings made at the Westdeutscher Rundfunk in Cologne, the participating artists present the first complete recording of all of Feldman's piano works for more than two hands. The piano duo elaeis – Jovita Zähl and Philipp Kronbichler – collaborated with other pianists and singers. The recordings include several first recordings, such as “Pianos and Voices”, recorded for the first time on five grand pianos with five sopranos, and the recently discovered “Trio for Two Pianos and Cello” with Rohan de Saram, long-time member of the Arditti Quartet, playing the violoncello.

The fame of Feldman's late work temporarily overshadowed our appreciation of his earlier compositions, the importance of which is amply demonstrated in this album. – A magnificent release to mark the composer's 100th birthday!

Produced by Westdeutscher Rundfunk Köln, 2013–2015 | Under exclusive license from WDR mediagroup GmbH | With the kind support of Kunststiftung NRW