JÜRG FREY (composer)

[FreakAnimalFinland]

I had never heard of this guy before I heard one of his piece in random encounter. I was searching internet with "slowest piano music" or such search words, and eventually link to this guys works appeared.

It never fails to amaze me, that guys, with proper training, decent ideas, and it appears there is very very minimal interest. At least in some ways. I was just reading that there are 70 modern music pieces premiering in Finland every year, and was it about 90% which will never be performed again. Which I guess meaning also recording. You can catch some of finnish art music from radio. Naturally state funded things, but that's about it?
One composer who had premiere last year concluded that people in underground music should see their perspective. Underground music people cry about decreasing sales of records, but in "classical music world", nobody buys records and only handful of old people go to concerts and that's all there is. Not sure if this is true everywhere, but I guess in Finland it's probably more difficult to purchase contemporary art music than noisecore demo, hah..

It is very curious, that trained professional and perhaps "old man" in certain standards, still vast amounts of Frey's work appears on CDR?! Of course we talk about his more experimental stuff. Processed natural sounds, but still. CDR?! He has done writing. Sound installations, electronic, acoustic, orchestral,...

What really captured my ear, was indeed the stuff what I originally was searching: Slowest possible piano music. But most of his stuff wasn't piano, but some is included. Only CD I have got so far is by Musiques Suisses ‎label. Some sources list it differently, but it should be just "untitled". Label price appears to be no less than 26 euro for CD. One reason to turn of merely curious people. CD starts with no less than half an hour minimalist drone piece made with 4 saxophones. Shorter pieces what come afterwards exhibit more musical traits, but it is never "music" in catchy way. Tempo is often so slow, that even when it gets at most traditional musical form, slow tempo keeps it almost abstract.

Some info which doesn't appear to be very up-to-date:
http://www.wandelweiser.de/juerg-frey.html

Couple more easy and musical pieces from "Untitled" CD (2014)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PijUuM8JEgs

Acoustic non-instrument works:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbdZLcgezRU

Some live material of stuff. Mostly shitty quality of video & sound.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rL9E6BF_Ofs&index=9&list=PLfp_G_-JF2fLMLIitW2EpelZiFDNDiSL-


Anyone heard / bought / experienced his stuff? I'm yet to fully look into matters, where to get more. I know I don't really need more CDR's as spent quite a lot of time to get rid of most of CDR's by now. I don't know is it matter of bureaucracy why this kind of stuff doesn't get published? If it would be matter of writing guys like this "lets do CD! ok, here's my stuff, send me XX cd's or XX euros" and 4 weeks later finished product is available, then I guess it would happen?

[Dr Alex]

Couple more easy and musical pieces from "Untitled" CD (2014)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PijUuM8JEgs

I like this a lot!

[eyestrain]

Recently received "Grizzana and Other Pieces 2009-2014" and "24 Wörter" and I can give the highest recommendation for both!

EDIT: Those Frey albums feature a lot more strings than piano though. If you're looking for utmost minimal piano music, I'd also suggest Eva-Maria Houben's "6 Sonatas" (she is also a composer that is part of the Edition Wandelweiser group). 3 long CDr's (again!) of s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d out piano work. Her "Orgelbuch" is an intriguing album of organ music also. Slightly more active, but still nothing like maximal.
Of course, Morton Feldman's later works "For Bunita Marcus", "For Philip Guston" (4 hours!) or "Triadic Memories" are always options also.
R. Andrew Lee has also performed two Frey albums that are piano-based: "Piano Music" and "Pianist, Alone" which are both phenomenal.
Lee's performance of Dennis Johnson's "November" is probably the most bare-bones piano work I've ever heard. Almost five hours.

[Zeno Marx]

If you're looking for utmost minimal piano music, I'd also suggest Eva-Maria Houben's "6 Sonatas" (she is also a composer that is part of the Edition Wandelweiser group). 3 long CDr's (again!) of s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d out piano work. Her "Orgelbuch" is an intriguing album of organ music also. Slightly more active, but still nothing like maximal.
Of course, Morton Feldman's later works "For Bunita Marcus"

I liked For Bunita Marcus as well.  Always on the hunt for minimalist solo piano.  I'll have to look for that 6 Sonatas.  I've never heard of her.