BBC Radio 3 to broadcast Cage's 4'33"

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The BBC Symphony Orchestra is to give a performance of composer John Cage's seminal piece 4'33" - nearly five minutes of complete silence.
BBC Radio 3 is to broadcast the entire composition live, even having to switch off its emergency system which cuts in when there is apparent silence.

If you miss the performance, you can download the track here:

[url]http://bitzi.com/lookup/IH4QFTP7TK4UGB4QSGTBM44ABE3WFOXN[/url]

― Jonathan Z., Tuesday, 13 January 2004 12:15 (twenty-two years ago)

Jesus.

― Enrique (Enrique), Tuesday, 13 January 2004 12:18 (twenty-two years ago)

.Kristus

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Tuesday, 13 January 2004 12:23 (twenty-two years ago)

ITS ONLY FOR SOLO PIANO.

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 13 January 2004 12:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Maybe they've got someone to write a score for an orchestral version

― mms (mms), Tuesday, 13 January 2004 12:26 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh yeah.

Someone should run a book on how many coughs are counted in the audience or the orchestra.

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 13 January 2004 12:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Well, as a 'puter also has a keyboard - although a different one from that of a piano - but let's not get too nit-picky here, alright? - and, moreover, a 'puter being a musical instrument as well, I cannot but assume that I must have performed, unawares, "4:33" for at least a half-dozen times every other night over the past five years or so. And so probably have most of you all.

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Tuesday, 13 January 2004 12:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Anyone heard the Frank Zappa version?

― pete s, Tuesday, 13 January 2004 12:39 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, but the keyboard has to have a lid/cover. Lifting the lid is intrinsic to the performance of the piece.

(xpost Zappa. No, how does his version go?)

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 13 January 2004 12:41 (twenty-two years ago)

The Glenn Gould version clocks in at under 2 minutes.

― Jonathan Z., Tuesday, 13 January 2004 12:41 (twenty-two years ago)

Does he play drums?

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 13 January 2004 12:44 (twenty-two years ago)

'how does his version go?'

Like a train

― pete s, Tuesday, 13 January 2004 12:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, but the keyboard has to have a lid/cover. Lifting the lid is intrinsic to the performance of the piece.

True, true... But suppose my 'puter'n'keyboard does have a "cover" (tho it hardly could be mistaken for a "lid") and said cover is lifted every day when the 'puter is switshed on, then it'd mean... oh, the number of my semi-accountable half-arsed performances decreases dramathematically!?

*lifts eyelids, sheds 4.33 tears*

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Tuesday, 13 January 2004 13:01 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't think you can perform it unwittingly. The whole point of it is that you're conscious of environmental sounds for 4,33.

― dave225 (Dave225), Tuesday, 13 January 2004 13:04 (twenty-two years ago)

e.g. Coughing, mobile phones, digital watches that beep on the hour (does this happen anymore?)

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 13 January 2004 13:05 (twenty-two years ago)

Not true that it's only for solo piano - or that it even needs to last for 4'33". Here's Cage's note from the third version, often referred to as the First Tacet Edition:

NOTE: The title of this work is the total length in minutes and seconds of its performance. At Woodstock, N.Y., August 29, 1952, the title was 4'33" and the three parts were 33", 2'40", and 1'20". It was performed by David Tudor, pianist, who indicated the beginnings of parts by closing, the endings by opening, the keyboard lid. However, the work may be performed by (any) instrumentalist or combination of instrumentalists and last any length of time.

FOR IRWIN KREMEN JOHN CAGE

― aldo_cowpat (aldo_cowpat), Tuesday, 13 January 2004 13:05 (twenty-two years ago)

That was only to piss off Mike Batt...

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 13 January 2004 13:07 (twenty-two years ago)

The whole point of it is that you're conscious of environmental sounds for 4,33.
Now *that* side of things has been pretty well covered, especially in the summer, with windows wide open and wotnot. And the walls of my flat too damn often appear to be paper thin anyway :)

(Btw, 4:33 doesnnae compute as 4,33 - it's more like 4,55555555555(etc) minutes ;)

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Tuesday, 13 January 2004 13:17 (twenty-two years ago)

(sorry)

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Tuesday, 13 January 2004 13:19 (twenty-two years ago)

i think this is part of the cage uncaged weekend of concerts. Intend to go to one of them.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Tuesday, 13 January 2004 14:13 (twenty-two years ago)

Ever hear the accordian version? Pretty cool.

― Jazzbo (jmcgaw), Tuesday, 13 January 2004 18:36 (twenty-two years ago)

Is the audience expected to applaude when the song is over?

― billstevejim, Tuesday, 13 January 2004 20:26 (twenty-two years ago)

I think the pianist is supposed to applaud the audience for coughing in the right places.

― dave225 (Dave225), Tuesday, 13 January 2004 20:27 (twenty-two years ago)

Do you think that when this gets "performed" that nearrly everyone in the audience is a wiseass who purposely makes noises?

― dave225 (Dave225), Tuesday, 13 January 2004 20:29 (twenty-two years ago)

revolutionary. this ranks up with elvis costello playing 'radio' on saturday night live. why was that controversial again?

― keith m (keithmcl), Wednesday, 14 January 2004 03:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Go here:

http://www.itee.uq.edu.au/~michaeln/cages.html

And download the techno remix of 4'33" here:

http://beta.newsboys.com/spill/nw-cages.mp3

― Sasha (sgh), Wednesday, 14 January 2004 04:29 (twenty-two years ago)

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