This fascinating disc includes several first recordings in a broad survey of John Cage’s unpredictable muse, from the simple pleasures of a short score written in the 1950s for a synchronised swimming display, from which the album takes its title, to the more arcane delights of his musical compendium based on star-charts, Atlas Eclipticalis. Though the music inevitably ranges from the most regular and predetermined score to an aesthetic of chance and serendipity, dependent on the will of the performer, Cage’s voice, whimsical and questioning, is everywhere present, asking what music is and how and why we listen to it.
Works:
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Cage: 27' 10.554" for a percussionist
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Cage: Atlas Eclipticalis: Three Studies
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Cage: Dialogues for bass flute and percussion
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Cage: Music for an Aquatic Ballet for flutes, percussion and tape
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Cage: Music for Carillon No. 6 for piccolo and percussion
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Cage: Two