Makrokosmos Vol. 1 & 2: 24 Fantasy Pieces after the Zodiac for Amplified Piano

George Crumb (Artist), Laurie Hudicek (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 30, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Furious Artisans
• ASIN: B0000649NI
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #660,706 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

From the Artist

This disc includes liner notes in French, German and English. This is an audiophile quality recording.

Product Description

In 1971, George Crumb set out to compose a set of piano pieces; the preludes of Debussy and Chopin as well as Well Tempered Klavier of J.S. Bach come to mind as prototypes. What emerged after two years of painstaking distillation, Crumb’s Makrokosmos Vol. 1 & 2 for amplified piano, has proved a worthy heir to its 18th and 19th century analogs. Makrokosmos is a multi-dimensional odyssey through a universe of metaphysical timbres created via a compendium of extended piano techniques. These include the use of metal chains, paper on the strings, wire brush, paper clip, metal thimbles, whistling and Latin incantations. Crumb closes the ‘magic circle of infinity’ with these exceptional works, fusing performer with instrument, music with timbre, primitive with modern, terror with romance, lyricism with violence.

Taking advantage of state-of-the-art digital recording technology, producer Marc Wolf & Engineer Jeremy Tressler have captured George Crumb’s timeless Makrokosmos in stunning detail, clarity and dynamic range. Furious Artisans newest release promises to take the listener literally inside the guts of a 9 foot Steinway. If you need to own one version of Makrokosmos, this is the one!

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Makrokosmos Vol. 1 & 2, June 4, 2002

By 

Peter Zakson (Bronxville, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Makrokosmos Vol. 1 & 2: 24 Fantasy Pieces after the Zodiac for Amplified Piano (Audio CD)

I have listened to all of the major Makrokosmos recordings including the David Burge and Christiane Mathe version... I thought I knew this music! Laurie Hudicek is outrageous!! I mean, this is a flat out mind-numbing performance that runs finely scribed circles around those other versions. I must also mention the sound quality; normally this is something that I don't think about unless it is bad. On the contrary, this recording has the most amazing piano sound that I have heard short of the real thing. What an excellent find.

1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Ehh..., June 15, 2005

By 

E. Murphy-Mancini "Avant dernier" (Wilbraham, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Makrokosmos Vol. 1 & 2: 24 Fantasy Pieces after the Zodiac for Amplified Piano (Audio CD)

I did not find this recording very inspiring. George Crumb is an excellent composer, and the Makrokosmos cycles are excellent. However, as a pianist, I found that this recording is not really true to the music itself. The performer ignores some of Crumb's essential markings that sometimes make the pieces special. I have to admit that this recording is nearly alone in the world, so to have this recording is a blessing. It could be better, though.