Upon seeing the prepared piano, I expected to hear a composition akin to Stockhausen’s “Klavierstücke” but to my pleasant surprise, Cage’s “Sonata II” is a rhythmic, playful piece which is reminiscent of a musical clock.
The first 14 seconds introduce the listener to the altered keys with repetitive sounds, only to let the notes accelerate and become louder, lower; mingling order and chaos (00:17-00:25). This sequence is played twice, then a new sequence begins. Ferreira plays with hesitation, as the melody of the piece is disturbed by a new rhythm (00:50-00:55). The next sequence bears a familiarity, a tune which reminds me of American sitcoms which were produced several decades later (00:56-01:05): a comic relief amongst the turmoil which is created; an interlude. The following part of the piece sounds and feels like a bridge (01:06-01:13), shortly before the rainfall of high notes begins – an ostensible cadence (01:14-01:33) until Ferreira returns to the notes from the beginning, replaying the familiar sitcom sequence again, only to revert to another rainstorm which ultimately concludes the piece.
As someone who is relearning how to play the piano after a ten-year break, I could not imagine the sentiment if I had to play a piece like Cage’s “Sonata II”. However, as a listener, my experience consists both of mirth and confusion. Repetitions elicit curiosity for the development of the story Cage tries to tell, the low-pitched sounds reverse the images created by the melodic tones. For me, it is a marketplace with a carousel in the middle of a crowd which is then disrupted by rain. This scene is repeated twice. Then, sunlight illuminates the buildings and life resumes, only for the night to cover the city like a blanket. Harder rainfall. Nightlife begins to sprinkle the streets golden with its little lights, before a rainstorm clouds the view again.
These images are the result of Cage’s ability to collect life in its rawest form; albeit not as raw as 4’33’’. His intention is clearly not to capture and store or display, though. Instead, he compiled impressions, sounds, sensations and created a piece which lives.
The first 14 seconds introduce the listener to the altered keys with repetitive sounds, only to let the notes accelerate and become louder, lower; mingling order and chaos (00:17-00:25). This sequence is played twice, then a new sequence begins. Ferreira plays with hesitation, as the melody of the piece is disturbed by a new rhythm (00:50-00:55). The next sequence bears a familiarity, a tune which reminds me of American sitcoms which were produced several decades later (00:56-01:05): a comic relief amongst the turmoil which is created; an interlude. The following part of the piece sounds and feels like a bridge (01:06-01:13), shortly before the rainfall of high notes begins – an ostensible cadence (01:14-01:33) until Ferreira returns to the notes from the beginning, replaying the familiar sitcom sequence again, only to revert to another rainstorm which ultimately concludes the piece.
As someone who is relearning how to play the piano after a ten-year break, I could not imagine the sentiment if I had to play a piece like Cage’s “Sonata II”. However, as a listener, my experience consists both of mirth and confusion. Repetitions elicit curiosity for the development of the story Cage tries to tell, the low-pitched sounds reverse the images created by the melodic tones. For me, it is a marketplace with a carousel in the middle of a crowd which is then disrupted by rain. This scene is repeated twice. Then, sunlight illuminates the buildings and life resumes, only for the night to cover the city like a blanket. Harder rainfall. Nightlife begins to sprinkle the streets golden with its little lights, before a rainstorm clouds the view again.
These images are the result of Cage’s ability to collect life in its rawest form; albeit not as raw as 4’33’’. His intention is clearly not to capture and store or display, though. Instead, he compiled impressions, sounds, sensations and created a piece which lives.
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