Search - Music of the 20th Century :: Music of the 20th Century

An interesting compilation

B. Parker | oh | 02/05/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Don't know how you got here, but good digging. This album is a sampler from United records, a company out of the UK. It contains a fairly good cross section of 20th century composers. Many pieces stand out - Keiko Abe's, the Shostakovich piece, the Schnittke sonata. The inclusion of John Cage's 4'33 is negligible. It was the piece that drove me to dig up this CD. I knew what it was (silence), but I at least expected ambient crowd noise (I don't think it was recorded live). It being included here amidst such great music, it acts like a dead weight. I think there were surely more representative John Cage pieces they could've selected. But enough of my griping.

If you're looking for an intro into some of the more avant-garde leanings of 20th century classical, this one works halfway. Overall, a good disc with some pieces that will surely find their way into your head. You might have to look hard for this - it was on my Wish List for a year and a half without any sellers- but it can be worth it.

If ANYONE reads this, click the helpful button. I'm just curious to see if anyone else finds this CD out here in the Amazon bins."