George Crumb

Metamorphoses - Book 2

Like Book I of George Crumb's final large-scale keyboard cycle, Metamorphoses, Book II: Ten Fantasy-Pieces (After Celebrated Paintings) comprises ten movements for solo piano, each inspired by one of the composer's favorite works of visual art. His efforts to render these paintings in sound lead Crumb to reach beyond the conventional resources of the instrument once more: the insides of the piano are amplified, plucked, struck, and 'prepared' with foreign objects, and the pianist doubles on a handful of percussion instruments, speaks, whispers, and blows audibly as part of the 38-minute performance.

Metamorphoses, Book II is dedicated to Marcantonio Barone, who gave the world premiere in December of 2020 at the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia. Performing scores of both Book I (EP 68581) and Book II (EP 68729) are available for purchase, and a program note and full performance notes from the composer, detailing the extended techniques as well as the instruments and other objects required for performance.