A Chance Operation-The John Cage Tribute

John [1] Cage (Composer), Jackson Mac Low (Composer), Christian Wolff (Composer), Ken Nordine (Composer), Laurie [Performance Artist] Anderson (Composer), Ryuichi Sakamoto (Composer), Larry [Composer] Austin (Composer), David Tudor (Composer), John / Ono, Yoko Lennon (Composer), Oregon Symphony (Composer, Orchestra), Takehisa Kosugi (Composer), James Tenney (Composer), Robert Ashley (Composer), John Cale (Composer), Research Composer (Composer), Anne Tardos (Conductor), Kronos Quartet (Performer), Charles "Vision" Turner (Performer), Kris Nordine (Performer), David Tudor (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Kronos Quartet, Charles "Vision" Turner, Kris Nordine, David Tudor
• Orchestra: Oregon Symphony
• Conductor: Anne Tardos
• Composer: John [1] Cage, Jackson Mac Low, Christian Wolff, Ken Nordine, Laurie [Performance Artist] Anderson, et al.
• Audio CD (November 18, 1993)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Koch Int'l Classics
• ASIN: B000001SH6
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #188,533 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #61 in Music > Classical > Instruments > Percussion

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Excerpts For Thirty Pieces For String Quartet

2. Excerpt From Thirty Pieces For String Quartet

3. Three Dances For Prepared Piano, Dance #1

4. Dance 2: Three Dances for Prepared Piano

5. Dance 3: Three Dances for Prepared Piano

6. First Four-Language Word Event in Memoriam John Cage

7. First Four-Language Word Event in Memoriam John Cage

8. First Four-Language Word Event in Memoriam John Cage

9. First Four-Language Word Event in Memoriam John Cage

10. First Four-Language Word Event in Memoriam John Cage

See all 98 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Cunningham Stories (Merce Cunningham Phoned His Mother...)

2. Cunningham Stories (Merce Cunningham Phoned His Mother...)

3. Cunningham Stories (Merce Cunningham Phoned His Mother...)

4. Cunningham Stories (Merce Cunningham Phoned His Mother...)

5. Oregon: Chance/Choice

6. Oregon: Chance/Choice

7. Chance/Choice

8. Chance/Choice

9. Chance/Choice

10. Chance/Choice

See all 85 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What? 183 tracks? What for? There is a reason..., August 2, 1999

By 

Sparky P. "jsparkyp" (composer, all around nice guy, yada yada yada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Chance Operation-The John Cage Tribute (Audio CD)

It might be bewildering at first. The first disc has 98 tracks; the second, 85. If you listen straight through, you do not perceive any discontinuity. A collection of John Cage pieces performed by friends, collegues, and admirers. Frank Zappa (American composer [complete biographical blurb that he provided]) contributed 4'33". Laurie Anderson tells a few Merce Cunningham tales. Seems like a fun tribute from the git-go. But wait! (And this is where the fun begins!) Switch your CD player to the shuffle (random) mode. Now look what happens. It goes from, say, Yoko Ono's piece to the Kronos to the Moraz prepared piano performance to Ken Nordine's narration - all in the matter of seconds. It is a great to homage to Cage himself with the great use of the random chance operations that he might have enjoyed. Every performance of this disc becomes a unique experience (just like Cage). For even more fun, try playing both discs at the same time (provided, of course, you have the means; if not, improvise). Or add another sound source as well, like, say, the radio, or the television very low, or a tape of white noise. The possibilities are endless. I had the pleasure of trying this one day with FOUR players going on simulataneously: two with these discs, another with Miles Davis far in the background, the fourth with a disc of bird calls. It was quite a fun sound environment and I would not hesitate to try it again. But that was my experience. Your experience may be different.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Silence please!, August 30, 2006

By 

A. A. van Heuvel "heuva" (The Netherlands) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Chance Operation-The John Cage Tribute (Audio CD)

My only reason for buying this CD is the track 4:33 by Frank Zappa. 4:33 minutes of total silence, well almost total silence because you can hear a little background noices in the control room of Frank. It is a very interesting cd. But if you are not a fan of Zappa or Cage, and you like to hear music I say: buy something else. If you are ready for an experiment: buy this one or the CD Roaratorio.

5 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Georgia Stone the best antiwar composition to date, December 14, 2002

By 

Thomas Lapins (Orlando, Florida USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Chance Operation-The John Cage Tribute (Audio CD)

The whole collection is interesting. However, the great moment of this collection is the Ono contribution Georgia Stone. It's a fluxus symphony. Never have I heard a more poignant antiwar piece. It rates in power and beauty to Henryk Gorecki's Symphony #3 with soprano Dawn Upshaw. If anyone ever doubted the genius of Yoko Ono as being relevant and an artist of the highest calibre then listen to this masterpiece and you'll be jolted into her energy as an artist. Yoko, give us more of this kind of music.