Cage: Four6

Ulrich Krieger completes his A Cage of Saxophones survey of Cage’s works composed for, or which can be played on any instrument or instruments.

For this volume, Krieger combines works specifically composed for saxophone with works of no specified instrumentation that are suited for saxophones and winds.

Most of these are ‘indeterminate’ works, which require the performer to create the realisation based on materials supplied by Cage. In some situations, Krieger used Cage’s compositional tools to create his own parallel works.

The set includes the only available recording of ‘Party Pieces’, composed in collaboration with Henry Cowell, Lou Harrison and Virgil Thomson: one composer would write a bar of music plus two notes, folded the paper at the bar, passing it to the next composer, who would use the two notes as a base for continuing the composition. Composed for any melody or keyboard instruments, Krieger has made a version for saxophone quartet.

Acclaimed German saxophonist Ulrich Krieger studied classical/contemporary saxophone, composition, and electronic music at the Hochschule der Künste (Berlin) and the Manhattan School of Music. He currently tours with Lou Reed in the Metal Machine Trio and is a professor at CalArts Univerisity. He worked with leading artists such as LaMonte Young, Phil Niblock, David First, Lee Ranaldo, Elliott Sharp, Mario Bertoncini, Merzbow, and many others.