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The early works sound almost nothing like the Feldman we're used to. Influenced by Webern and the composer's teacher Stephan Wolpe, they are brief serial works. Journey to the End of Night, for soprano, flute, clarinet, bass clarinet and bassoon, a 1949 work based on Louis-Ferdinand Celine's novel, moves from Webern to Wolpe in its four short movements. The 1951 composition, Four Songs to e. e. cummings, is scored for soprano, cello and piano and strike me as considerably more sophisticated, if still nothing like the mature Feldman.

All the 1960s works on this disc are composed using a technique Feldman made much use of at the time: all the musical parts start at the same time, but they are not co-ordinated between each other and progress at independent speeds--usually both slowly and quietly. Of the four works from this period recorded here, the two earlier ones both feature a solo bass-baritone. In Intervals, from 1961, his vocal part--which contains only the Hebrew word for love--is accompanied by trombone, cello, vibraphone and percussion; the following year's O'Hara songs have an ensemble of chimes and piano quartet. Both of these works are largely dissonant, with almost Webernian harmonies, but the low dynamics and slow pace takes the edge of the discords. In contrast, the works from the later 1960s are more consonant, with Between Categories, a 1969 work for two antiphonally separated groups of chimes, piano, violin and cello, featuring near-arpeggio figures along with single notes. Four Instruments, written in 1965 for a single group of chimes, piano, violin and cello, is longer and more diffuse.

The single work on the disc in Feldman's 1970s style is Three Clarinets, Cello and Piano. Lasting about ten minutes, it's fairly typical of Feldman's strictly notated 1970s music in its somewhat Webernian harmonies and gentle, slow flow.

This disc is likely to appeal to most Feldman fans, as many of the works on it are unavailable otherwise. Nonetheless, I found it something of a disappointment--none of the pieces here strike me as essential Feldman, and while the performances are good, I found the rather distant, low-volume sound somewhat offputting. However, others may enjoy this disc more than I did.

They don't care if you hear
As in the previous "The Extasy of the Moment" these musicians play softly, very softly, sometimes beyond the threshold of audibility. In some instances one wonders whether they play the notes or just think about it. I do not remember any reference in Feldman's essays to inaudibility as an aesthetic experience in his own music. I like very much Feldman's music and I want to hear it (softly but) clearly.

It's Fulkerson's next Feldman installment
In my review of the disc "The Ecstacy of the Moment" I stated at the end that I look forward to Fulkerson's next installment. Well, here it is and I am glad. The order of the pieces is interesting as he alternates voice and instrument pieces with strictly instrumental pieces (and there has the clarinet, 'cello and piano work in between the two piano trio and chimes pieces (Bewteen Catagories is double the ensemble)). Four out of the seven works date from the 1960's, with a piece from the '40's (Journey to the End of Night), the '50's (cummings songs) and the '70's (Three Clarinets...) added. The earliest work, Journey to the End of Night, has Feldman fresh from his tutelege with Stefan Wolpe. (There are some moments in that piece which remind me of Stravinsky, but that's just my ears.) The cummings songs shows Feldman at his most Webernesque, with the wide leaps in the vocal line, the spare accompaniment from the 'cello and piano, and brevity, the four songs finished in less than four minutes. Intervals and The O'Hara Songs date from the early 1960's and continue the writing style similar to the Durations cycle, where the value of each note is determined by each player. Four instruments (1965) closely resembles the Vertical Thoughts cycle where while the durations are still more or less free, the sounds do not overlap as much as Durations. Between Catagories combines these two. Written for two equal groups of violin, 'cello, piano and chimes (with the stereophonic spacial separation similar to Bartok's Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta), both ensembles begin at the same time (although one group begins with silence) then proceed as if alone. (Listen for the piano arpeggio midway through that was also used in False Relationships on CRI's Viola in My Life CD.) Three Clarinets, 'Cello and Piano was written in standard notation and investigates opposing sonrities (sustained unattacked notes vs. short attacked notes).

The only downside of this disc is the sound quality, which sounds it bit distant, but I have forgiven all that for the fact that these are the only commercial recordings of most of these items (as of this writing, of course). According to Sir Chris Villar's Morton Feldman website, Fulkerson's next Mode release project will be a survey of Feldman's large ensemble graph pieces. (Final note: there are still but a baker's dozen or so of Feldman chamber works still unrecorded; let's get busy, eh?)