Cage (dead Souls Mc: Prospects #1)

With CAGE2 Bertrand Chamayou brings together 20 dance-inspired pieces written for prepared piano by the American composer John Cage (1912-1992). It continues Chamayou’s recorded exploration of Cage’s music, which began with the Erato album Letter(s) to Erik Satie, released in 2023. Juxtaposing the music of Cage and Satie, whose work Cage championed and revived in the mid-20 th century, the album was welcomed by the Guardian as “a gem of a collection”.

John Cage is one of the giants of 20th century contemporary music. While he never wrote anything you'd call Classical Top 40, his music up to 1950 is far more accessible than the random and chance-influenced pieces he created later on. These mysterious, wispy pieces sound as though they were written for a small ensemble of ghostly percussion instruments, although they are played by a single performer playing a piano with various gadgets attached to the strings. His composing, performing and philosophy are intertwined, and Cage has influenced innumerable composers and performers in classical, jazz and rock music. Cage has made a life's work out of music-as-sound and sound-as-music.