Christian Wolff - Pianist: Pieces
- Submitting institution
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The University of Huddersfield
: A - Music
- Unit of assessment
- 33 - Music, Drama, Dance, Performing Arts, Film and Screen Studies : A - Music
- Output identifier
- 17
- Type
- T - Other
- DOI
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- Location
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- Brief description of type
- Multi-component: 2 CDs and Journal Article including Contextual Information
- Open access status
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- Month
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- Year
- 2014
- URL
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- Supplementary information
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- Request cross-referral to
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- Output has been delayed by COVID-19
- No
- COVID-19 affected output statement
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- Forensic science
- No
- Criminology
- No
- Interdisciplinary
- No
- Number of additional authors
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0
- Research group(s)
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- Proposed double-weighted
- No
- Reserve for an output with double weighting
- No
- Additional information
- Wolff is widely considered to be one of the most important artists in the American experimental music movement. However, critical focus tends toward his ensemble music; these recordings thus present an alternative view of Wolff’s music, in which characteristic features of ensemble coordination are replaced by a variety of other indeterminate and compositional strategies. The interpretations reflect many years of close engagement by Thomas with Wolff’s music, as both performer and scholar. Wolff and Thomas have worked together since 2002, including co-performances with the ensemble Apartment House. Thomas co-edited and contributed two chapters to a 2010 collection of essays about Wolff’s music, and his performances have benefited from his scholarly activities concerning Wolff and, more widely, experimental music, and the reverse is also true. The five CDs (Items 1 and 2) represent the most extensive set of recordings of Christian Wolff’s piano music by a single pianist (three more CDs are planned to complete the set). A number of the works featured are recorded here for the first time. These recordings were undertaken as part of a wider research project on Wolff’s piano music, which involved live concert performances of solo and ensemble works (including world premieres of two solo pieces) and performance and recording of Resistance, a large-scale work for piano and ensemble. Key elements of the research enquiry involved in performing this repertoire are described in detail in the article (Item 3) about one of the works featured in Item 1. In this article, Thomas explores the potential of Wolff’s indeterminate notation, specifically here the notational technique of determining fingers and rhythm but not pitch. Thomas advocates an approach to performing Wolff’s music that is distinct from his approach to the music of Cage, reflecting the more improvisational and spontaneous character of both the notations and the material.
- Author contribution statement
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- Non-English
- No
- English abstract
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