about
"This [recording] captures the most important aspect of my work in composition that I have succeeded in recording to date. It is the yardstick against which all my other work must be compared."
— La Monte Young
"The first choice is clear. I'm confident that La Monte Young's The Well-Tuned Piano will receive little competition as the most important and beautiful new work recorded in the 1980s. Young's achievement is unique, the recording a technological triumph."
— Kyle Gann, FANFARE November/December 1987
"La Monte Young's magnum opus, The Well-Tuned Piano is a solo improvised work that he performed live in public over 65 times between 1974 and 1987 in the Marian Zazeela light environment. Conceived in 1964, this work continued absorbing, evolving and expanding for over two decades until it flourished to its full structure in the '80s. Each performance was improvised by memory over an interwoven architectural form, which often inspired new material while performing. During the second decade, the scale of the work had expanded exponentially with a wealth of musical materials built from the organic confluence of both Western and Hindustani classical traditions. The keyboard of Young's Bösendorfer was sometimes stained with blood from his wounded fingers after a long performance. The 45-minute recorded version (1964) had gradually developed to a continuous 6-hour 25-minute virtuoso live performance in 1987. The Well-Tuned Piano is certainly the epitome of a justly tuned piano in the modern context that transcends the character and limitations of the instrument. While deeply rooted in the ancient traditions of aural primacy, tonal structure and modality, The Well-Tuned Piano delineated an unprecedented sustained harmonic resonance and a complex sonic epic that we had never before experienced."
— Jung Hee Choi, "La Monte Young, The Well-Tuned Piano,"
p. 36 of the booklet included with purchase of the recording.
credits
released June 18, 2021
La Monte Young Marian Zazeela
The Well-Tuned Piano in the Magenta Lights
“87 V 10 6:43:00 PM — 87 V 11 1:07:45 AM NYC”
La Monte Young, Dia Custom Bösendorfer Imperial Grand
The Well-Tuned Piano and Just Intonation Tuning VI 1964-1973-1981-1987-present composed by La Monte Young
The Magenta Lights 1981-present composed by Marian Zazeela
This 6-hour 25-minute continuous performance was recorded live in concert May 10, 1987 during the La Monte Young 30-Year Retrospective, Dia Art Foundation Performance Space, 155 Mercer Street, New York City.
Presented by MELA Foundation, Inc.
Michael Harrison, Tuning Technician and Assistant to the Composer
Jon Catler, Tuning Assistant
Bob Bielecki, Piano Technician
Bill Dilworth, Lighting Technician
Bob Adler, Technical Consultant
Terry Youk, Technical & Production Assistant
Mitchell Clark, Joan Stango, Production Assistants
Bob Bielecki, Recording Engineer
Larry Scharf, Video Recording
J.C. Schlageter, Video Technician
Marian Zazeela, Camera One
Bob Adler, Camera Two
Original 1987 Video Mastered for DVD February/March 2000 at The Tape House, NYC
Chris Harvey, Project Coordinator & Producer
Bob Bielecki, Audio Mastering Consultant
Brad Buchwalter, Video Editor
Bryan Fitzpatrick, Executive Producer for The Tape House
Regina Scandiffia, Coordinating Producer for The Tape House
Scot Olive, Colorist
Tim Sager, Assistant Colorist
Anthony Gilliam, Chyron Operator
Marian Zazeela, Calligraphy, Title Design
Just Dreams Third DVD Edition Production
Produced by MELA Foundation, Inc. under the direction of La Monte Young, Marian Zazeela and Jung Hee Choi.
Cover calligraphy: Marian Zazeela
Cover photography: John Cliett
Package design and production: Jung Hee Choi, Ben Meyers
Production assistance: Erika Jane Barrett, Srinivas Ramamurthy
Copyright © La Monte Young & Marian Zazeela 2000, 2001, 2018. All Rights Reserved.
