...IM Klang...

"...Im Klang...," the composition originally written for accordion, makes its recorded debut here in two versions. They are separated by "Klavierstuck '87," performed by the truly gifted Marianne Schroeder. The reason for the two performances is a mechanical one: When Stiebler was going over the score with Teodoro Anzellotti, Anzellotti noted that the accordion (though certainly capable of playing everything) was not capable of making all of it audible — hence the work for organ as well. The original purpose of this composition was to create a piece for accordion where "notes within notes" would be played because of the detached, remote sound of the accordion as the air is pushed through its bellows over long sustained periods. In order to create this, one note must be sustained while also being simultaneously attacked, in order to create a microtonal universe whose sonic possibilities could not be predicted or even imaged by the composer or performer until the moment of performance. The way Stiebler dealt with the problem — besides leaving the original work to be played on the organ — was to write a score shortening the held sounds so that the played ones would then be audible. The result is hypnotically stunning. Anzellotti's control over the manual air flow is nothing short of heroic, and as each new phrase is introduced that control becomes more and more complete until there is a seamlessness of action and result. The organ work is a vision of what Stiebler wanted to realize and the tonal possibilities abound; however, the airflow that comes through the accordion is cancelled out in favor of a subtler, more droning sense of polytonality. It too is very beautiful, but the pieces are so different from one another that they are impossible to compare. "Klavierstuck '87" is comprised of 19 lines played isorhythmically, so that the slight changes in tempo and pitch — as introduced by the performer — alter the overall rhythmic structure of the performance in listeners' ears, whose hearing and perception make them active participants. It's a Cageian notion, but one that is all too didactic in approach. Nonetheless, Schroeder puts her all into the performance of the work and makes for an emotional reading of an otherwise academic score. It's a fine piece, but it is a score, not an interactive event.