Stockhausen: In Freundschaft, Werk Nr. 46 (In Friendship)

This page lists all recordings of In Freundschaft, Werk Nr. 46 (In Friendship), by Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928-2007) on CD. Generally, more recent CDs are listed first, but with priority given to items that are in stock.

In Freundschaft was composed in 1977 as a birthday gift for the clarinettist Susanne Stephens. It was always envisaged as a solo piece for a range of different instruments, from tuba to recorder, double bass to violin.

Stockhausen uses three layers in In Freundschaft, what he calls 'horizontal polyphony', and suggests it requires 'a special art of listening'. A high layer is tranquil and soft, while a low layer is loud and fast, these layers taking place around trill segments in a middle layer. All pitches relate to this middle layer. A trained ear will recognize the relationship between the layers - the high and low layers are reflections of each other in time and space.

While Stockhausen's suggestion of 'a special art of listening' may be desirable, you can also enjoy this piece with no special preparation!