The tenth recording of the prepared piano’s pioneering classic enters the British catalogue! What a luxury! The Sonatas and Interludes have moved from lunatic fringe to established masterpiece in just over a generation – deservedly.
I have already admired the dedication of Schleiermacher in his magisterial complete Cage series, but later found Karis had something of his own to offer, was cheaper and thus got top billing for the Sonatas and Interludes on their own.
The competition in this work is fierce, as Joanna MacGregor found. It needs utterly precise rhythms and carefully assembled preparations, based on detailed scrutiny of Cage’s own requirements (ambiguous as these often are) and the performance history of the work. All pianos seem to be different when it comes to preparations. The sound palette should sparkle. Berman is usually conscientious but he makes a bad miscalculation in Sonata No. 2 – at 1'09'' he plays at half speed. He avoids the errors resulting from misreading Cage’s calligraphy in some recordings, such as Vandre’s, but his rhythm is slightly pedestrian and his preparations don’t always quite scintillate. However, without Schleiermacher and Karis, Berman would come well up the list.'