I agree wholeheartedly about Kontakte and would add Refrain from roughly
the same period.

Todd Michel McComb ([log in to unmask]) wrote:

>The other major technical piece I would recommend is "Mantra" which
>is basically a set of variations, including some rather unusual
>transformations of the material.  There are also two recordings of this.

Gosh, haven't heard this in years.  Still recall a mesmerising Prom
performance by the brothers Kontarsky (at that time, who else?)

>In neither of these pieces is performer freedom really an important issue,
>in terms of recognizing them, as discussed previously in this thread.

I'd also highly recommend the Klavierstucke.  While some of them arguably
receive better performances from David Tudor (recorded live in Darmstadt
IIRC c1958) on HatArt, (and Frederic Rzewski's incredible X on an old
Wego LP should be reissued RIGHT NOW) Aloys Kontarsky's complete cycle is
available (or was) on Sony and I think KS's piano music stands the test
of time very well.

Of course there is considerable freedom offered the performer is
Klavierstuck XI, in which a number of fragmetns of music (21?) are arranged
on the page.  The performers plays them in whatever sequence catches
his/her fancy and, IIRC, the piece ends after a fragment is played for
the second time.

The Sony CD was c/w the two Mikrophonies, which are not for the
fainthearted...

Deryk Barker
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