JOHN CAGE : Freeman Etudes, Books 1 & 2

'John Cage’s Freeman Etudes are the modern equivalent of Paganini’s virtuoso solo violin etudes. Each etude is completely notated down to the smallest detail, and the composer states “…are as intentionally as difficult as I can make them…So I think that this music, which is almost impossible, gives an instance of the practicality of the impossible.” The detail and complexity of these etudes give them a unique and unusual spot in Cage’s oeuvre.
These first two books (there are 8 etudes per book) were composed between 1977 and 1980 with the help of Paul Zukofsky, who answered Cage’s questions about what was (and wasn’t) possible to play on the violin. Cage also composed the 17th Etude in 1980, but abandoned writing the remaining fifteen, believing them to be “almost impossible” music. They were abandoned until 1990, that is, when Cage heard Irvine Arditti’s remarkable rendition of the first 16 Etudes. Once again, Cage had the inspiration and the impetus to complete the last two books, which Arditti has recorded on mode 37.
A goal of the Etudes is to make each one the same duration: as fast as one can play the most difficult Etude with accuracy. Arditti’s performances are at blistering speed and center around three minutes per Etude, far faster than any other recorded version.'



Tracklist
Book One
1 Etude 1 3:00
2 Etude 2 3:01
3 Etude 3 3:01
4 Etude 4 3:08
5 Etude 5 3:01
6 Etude 6 3:00
7 Etude 7 3:00
8 Etude 8 3:03
Book Two
9 Etude 9 3:02
10 Etude 10 3:06
11 Etude 11 3:06
12 Etude 12 3:00
13 Etude 13 3:08
14 Etude 14 3:00
15 Etude 15 3:00
16 Etude 16 3:05

Credits
Art Direction, Photography By – Brian Brandt
Composed By – John Cage
Engineer, Edited By [Digital Editing] – David Avidor
Liner Notes – James Pritchett
Liner Notes [French Translation] – Eliza Burnham, Marc Farre
Liner Notes [German Translation] – Jovita Zähl
Producer – Brian Brandt
Violin – Irvine Arditti

Notes
Subtitled The Complete Music for Violin, Disc 1.
Recorded at Crowell Hall, Wesleyan University; Middletown, Connecticut on 13 February 1990
Composer supervised recordings.
16-page booklet includes liner notes in English, German and French plus a sample page from the score.