Morton Feldman's Piano, Violin, Viola, Cello (the austere title of this piano quartet, also his last work) sounded last year on September 17 at the Muziekgebouw in Amsterdam and on November 3 at the Lutherse Kerk in Groningen, performed by the ensemble Nieuw Amsterdams Peil (the name is a find in itself for several reasons, if one thinks about it for a moment). The (live) recording released by TRPTK was made in Groningen, but an editor (Hans Erblich) was involved, which is why I assume a priori that some (post)processing did take place (of which nothing is noticeable anyway). It's possible that a recording was made in Amsterdam on September 17 to be able to correct any 'mishaps' later if needed. However, it hardly matters much to the listener, because in the end only the (audible) result counts.
Feldman dedicated the Piano Quartet to Ad van 't Veer, programmer of the MMF, the Mostly Modern Festival that takes place annually in Middelburg in Zeeland and over which Robert Paterson wields the artistic scepter. Composers from all over the world get the chance in Zeeland to have their newest creations heard. This progressively designed concept we already knew from the famous festival in Donaueschingen, entirely dedicated to new(est) music.
Feldman was a regular guest at the MMF (including from 1985 to 1987 with well-attended masterclasses), as can also be seen in the ninety-minute film Een meteoriet op Walcheren, whose title is derived from a description by Dutch composer Daan Manneke, when the festival took permanent shape in the late sixties. And what nobody expected then happened: the MFF quickly grew into an international reputation, an important 'meeting place' that managed to bind many composers, including the most prominent ones, to itself. Countless world premieres sounded, with improvised jazz also given ample room to assert itself.
Feldman's Piano Quartet had its premiere on July 4, 1987, thus both shortly after its completion (May 28) and shortly before his death (September 3, in his home Buffalo, New York, age 61), in Middelburg during the eleventh MMF, in the presence of Feldman who was undergoing chemotherapy. It will, unlike the 1983 Second String Quartet lasting six hours and the five-hour Crippled Symmetry for bass flute, percussion (glockenspiel, vibraphone) and piano (celesta) completed that same year, not have been a strain on spirit or endurance, although the extremely slowly unfolding Piano, Violin, Viola, Cello written in half notes and lasting some eighty minutes does ask the listener to stay attentive. Typical Feldman then.
At the end of May, Feldman was still completely unaware of his approaching end. During the standard treatment that followed shortly thereafter for a stomach ulcer, however, it came to light that the composer suffered from an aggressive form of pancreatic cancer. This did not prevent him, however, from making the journey to Middelburg shortly after – this time for the fifth time. There he mingled, lively as always and as was customary in public discussions with colleagues (a number of which can be found on YouTube). As there were also – in the words of musicologist Elmer Schönberger – the 'labyrinthine improvisations, the endlessly branching thoughts about music, art, history, humanity and the world'. Those who wish to better understand his music cannot do better than turn to his documented monologues.
Some statements by Feldman picked from the CD booklet: '…something that is beautiful is made in isolation'. 'I'm very into acoustical reality. For me there is no such thing as compositional reality.' 'I think the piece dies a natural death. It dies of old age.' 'Beyond an hour length becomes scale.' 'For me at least sound was the hero, and it still is.' The last statement more in response to John Cage's 'Let sounds be themselves', Feldman's 'hero' in the fifties (the Projections composed by Feldman at that time is strongly influenced by Cage's music).
Nieuw Amsterdams Peil is one of the few Dutch ensembles that has chosen innovation. Founded in 2005, its focus lies with modern and contemporary music in the most
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diverse genres and styles. This also includes – it sounds self-evident – collaboration with composers, which alone from that perspective gives the performances a certain authority. Furthermore, Nieuw Amsterdams Peil has distinguished itself through educational projects including workshops and involving the audience in the music-making.
No wonder then that with Nieuw Amsterdams Peil on stage, a performance of Feldman's Piano Quartet has come about that continuously shines and from which - one flows from the other - the great affinity with this so special oeuvre becomes apparent. The enchantment so essential in this music flows from the captivating engagement in which evocation and expression continually lend each other a hand. This is without any doubt one of the best performances of Feldman's Piano, Violin, Viola, Cello, to which it should be added that the recording made by Brendon Heinst and Antal van Nie must be called exemplary.
There is no better way to understand Feldman's Piano Quartet well than to follow both the music and the score. That can be done on , in a performance by the Quartetto Klimt.