Avant-Garde "Classical" Music      Avant-Garde "Class...      Steve Reich 1965-1995 Hugo Munday, Donald Palma, ... Nonesuch, 1997 Essential + Classic, but not the definitive... The term "essential" gets thrown about too much. And heck, the claim that certain words get thrown about too much gets thrown about too much. But here is a collection that really *is* essential to understanding the nature of a whole shift not just in classical music, but in popular music and ...             The 25-Year Retrospective Concert of the Music of John Cage John Cage, Manhattan Percussion Ensemble, ... Wergo Germany, 1995 A primary document of the American avant-garde + The ideal starting point if you are new to Cage It was painters Jasper Johns and Bob Rauschenberg who helped arrange this, what today is a monumental document of the American avant-garde. And this was in the late Fifties a time when these American artists had very little money. Here we have all the Cage classics. The "Sonatas and Interludes" ...             Schönberg: Pierrot lunaire op. 21 Isabelle Veyrier, Remi Lerner, ... Hmf Musique D'abord, 2003 Seems like the best choice to me + Tremendously listenable + Unusual music but very good quality + A very fine and natural sounding recording of this masterpiece             The Ligeti Project III: Cello Concerto / Clocks & Clouds / Violin Concerto / Síppal, Dobbal, Nádihegedüvel Gyorgy Ligeti, Siegfried Palm, ... Teldec, 2003 A great Ligeti disc, including two world premieres + Thank you for all, Mr. Ligeti. + Deep contrasts and consistencies among four masterful pieces + More serious fun from Ligeti + two string concertos, two vocal works             Cage: Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano John Cage, Boris Berman Naxos American, 1999 I defer to Mr. White, but I like this disc + A groundbreaking concept for the time but somewhat flat... + strange, but rewarding + Cage has a revolution with this work.             Glassworks Philip Glass, Michael Riesman Sony, 2003 Wonderful, Typical Glass + Philip Glass + Amazing Creation + Classical music of different kind... + He works magic in film.             The Ligeti Project II: Lontano / Atmosphères / Apparitions / San Francisco Polyphony / Concert Românesc - ... Gyorgy Ligeti, Jonathon Nott, ... Teldec, 2002 Some major orchestral "micropolyphonic" works and a fun early piece + One of the best CDs of contemporary music. + Excellent, but only for a willing ear + Very Good Intro To Gyorgy Ligeti + Stunningly insightful performances of Ligeti's orchestral works             John Cage: Music for Prepared Piano, Vol. 2 John Cage, Boris Berman Naxos American, 2001 Thank You, Naxos! + Uncaged + Berman's Cage The term "John Cage" seems to haunt my mind as long as I live. He certainly was one of the most controversial American composers during his days; he was the key figure to introduce "chance" and the "prepared piano" - by placing different small objects on the strings, the instrument produces various ...             The Ligeti Project, Vol. 5 Gyorgy Ligeti, Asko, ... Teldec, 2004 Odds and ends As the other reviewer mentions, this CD is the last of the Ligeti Project and collects several miscellaneous works and arrangements (with a wide variety of performers as well). I would've much rather seen a new work on here, rather than the 20 minutes spent on Aventures and Nouvelles Aventures ...             Stockhausen: Helikopter Streichquartett ("Helicopter" String Quartet) (Arditti Quartet Edition, Vol. 35) Karlheinz Stockhausen, Arditti String Quartet Auvidis, 2000 Be Honest + Is there any sense to a review? + Unique How many of you think nothing of listening to music in the car, on the bus or in public with headphones, or even at home with the dog barking and the neighbor's lawnmower in the background? In other words, anywhere but the otherwise silent environment the composer surely had in mind when he wrote ...             Varèse - The Complete Works / Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra · Asko Ensemble · Chailly Edgard Varese, Riccardo Chailly, ... Decca, 1998 Go ahead, test your intelligence... + Good Production, Now Where's the Simonovich Reissue? + Superb with just one reservation Varese is one of the more unique composers in music history. Originally born in France, then emigrating to America, his music is extrememly challenging, and he had enormous influence on Frank Zappa in particular. Zappa used to play Varese to test the intelligence of his friends, and most of them ...             Rainbow in Curved Air Terry Riley Sony, 1990 Meditative, with a subtle rhythmic element + Terry Riley -'Rainbow In Curved Air' (Sony) + Pete Townshend's Turntable + Inventive Music by an Inventive Guy.             Kontakte Karlheinz Stockhausen, William Winant Ecstatic Peace, 1997 Not the best recording This a stinky performance of a great piece of music from the beginning of Stockhausen's career as a composer. The piano and percussion play along with a 4-channel tape. It's a lot of fun, but the instrumentalist are not energetic enough, and they make too many mistakes - and yes, you CAN hear ...             25 Years: Retrospective Suzanne Elder, Paul Hillier, ... Nonesuch, 1998 How Could You Not Listen? + A must + A worthwhile investment + Excelent compilation! + Amazingly Now Retrospective             Glass: Einstein on the Beach (1993 Recording) Richard Peck, Gregory Purnhagen, ... Nonesuch, 1993 Hard to fault + Minimalism at its most ambitious + Meeting a middle aged friend for lunch + "...it could be very fresh and clean."          products you might be interested in        toavi.com    web we recommend Not the best recording randomly chosen music: Rapture: Opera's Most Heavenly Moments