Four Systems (1954) is an early and influential example of Earle Brown’s open-form approach to composition. Written as a graphic score, the work replaces traditional notation with visual elements that suggest relationships of pitch, duration, dynamics, and rhythm rather than prescribing exact sounds.

On this album, composer John Bickerton offers four distinct realizations of the score, each tracing a different path through its terrain. The page is turned upside down and read in reverse, and the four systems unfold in changing orders. Through these shifting perspectives, the performances reveal the extraordinary range of possibilities that arise when a performer steps inside the open architecture of a graphic score.

The John Cage Trilogy

Inspired by Hidekazu Yoshida’s interpretations of Japanese Haiku poetry, John Cage formed a trilogy of his existing works honoring the essence of the poetry. Atlas Eclipticalis (1961), the first piece in the trilogy, represents nirvana. Variations IV (1963), the second work, represents samsara—the turmoil of everyday life. 0’00” (1962), the third piece, represents individual action.

The album continues with realizations of 2 graphic scores by Earle Brown, November 1952 and December 1952. The CD closes with a performance of John Cage’s Radio Music.