Makrokosmos I and II for amplified piano (1972-1973) are vintage works by George Crumb, composed during the highly productive period that yielded his mystical Songs, Drones and Refrains of Death; Ancient Voices of Children; and Black Angels – an impressive output that had a tremendous influence on the experimental music of the 1970s. This 2004 recording of Crumb's 24 fantasy pieces on the Zodiac may seem a bit of a trip down memory lane, insofar as comparisons with the historic Nonesuch and Columbia Odyssey LPs are inevitable; and it is apparent now how widely Crumb's original techniques infiltrated the piano music of his contemporaries.