20th Century Microtonal Notation by Gardner Read (review)

its transformations is extremely compelling . Ring-modulation produces a sound that is at times reminiscent of Cage’s prepared pianos. The effect is stunning. The piano writing is at times athletic, dramatic and humorous, and always interesting. This is truly an amazing piece. so. My initial response to the 1971 DGG recording was so negative I traded in the recording. But this new CD recording is another world altogether . The modulated pianos have incredible depth and are completely undistorted. I only wish there were a greater separation between them, one thing the DGG recording did have. The performance by Mikhashoff and Bevan is masterly. Mantra is not an easy piece. Both pianists have impeccable reputations around the world for the performance of new music. This recording proves it. Suddenly, a number of books on and about Stockhausen and his music have appeared in English. Stockhausen remains a subject for books in Europe, but few reach us through translation. Mya Tannenbaum, an Italian journalist, conducted his interviews with Stockhausen between 19’79 and 1981.This thin volume (93pages of text) has some interesting (and humorous) anecdotes about Stockhausen ’s performance problems, particularly as relating to the La Scala performance of Donnmstagfrom Licht. But Tannenbaum’sleading questions are pedestrian and heavy with meaning , one example being “Maestro, tell me about your moments ofjoy.” (Why he insists on ‘Maestro’,I do not know---could it be sarcasm?) Tim Nevill’scollection of Stockhausen ’s lectures and writings is a better resource. Nevill has selected texts from the late 1960sright up to 1988, with a good dose of the mysticism and magic that other books leave out. Remember , Stockhausen did say in 1978 that an inner revelation told him he was “educatedon Sirius, that I come from Sirius, but people laugh at this and don’t understand it, so it really doesn’t make much sense to talk about it”.The composer-as-spacecadet may seem a bit dated for the 199Os,but I, for one, hope that he was not kidding and still believes it. Regardless, this book substantiates the mysterium that is at the center of Stockhausen’swork. Too bad there is no index, however. I must admit I did not always think Robin Maconie’s two books present some grave problems. Maconie, a New Zealand writer and composer living in England, has been one of the better ‘explainers’of Stockhausen since the 1970s.His first edition of The Wmks appeared in 1976.It was a gold mine to anyone trying to comprehend the awesome body of Stockhausen ’s work. The first edition was organized in chronological order, from Ch&e f i r Dmis (1950),opus 1, to Tzerkrks (1975),opus 41. Its detailed information, including graphic examples from scores, wiring diagrams, seating plans and recording data made this single work indispensible for anyone both serious about Stockhausen and, as in my case, required to say something intelligible for radio presentations. I have waited years for an updated edition, expecting similar revelations about the works since 1975,especially L i c k But this second edition is a disappointment . The book has been totally reorganized into major overview chapters with titles such as “The Path to Electronic Music”and “Fables and Incarnations”.Each work is mentioned in passing but not necessarily in chronological order. Nearly every sentence has been altered in some way, sometimes quite trivially.A great deal of material, both anecdotal and informative, has been deleted. A typical example is a quotation from Stockhausen ’sprogram note for a 1971 performance of Mantra that describes vibrations that are beyond ideas: “And if the true vibration is not there, all his magic crumbles, as that of the Vedic priest who has badly pronounced the mantra of the sacrifice.” In the first edition, Maconie added, ‘Thisis the point. . . no more a striving for the unknown, instead a striving for precision, for ‘right saying’.’’ In the second edition, both comments have been replaced by some weak musings on Mantra’s similarity to Boulez’s Structuresfor TwoPianos. Why? Maconie claims in the preface that a “windfallof information from other sources has been provoked , much as anticipated, by the first edition’s speculative and factual errors”.But so much has...