Enfants Terribles (1999)

"Steffen Schleiermacher's obsession with the musical outsider has taken him through the Russian avant-garde as well as a previous volume of Americans in his ruthless uncovering of works both bravely visionary and subversive. Here, he uses his worldview to interpret the work of post-Cageian composers; all but one was born after 1940. In alphabetical order, the bad boys are Tom Johnson, Sven Ake Johansson, Nicolaus Richter De Vroe, Schleiermacher himself, and John Zorn. Interestingly enough, this recording feels more like an apology than a celebration of these men who have consciously flown in the face of all that music has held dear. Take Zorn's "Carny": Of the pieces he's written specifically for the piano, this one is easily the most conventional and tonal. The most interesting work here is Schleierermacher's own "Klavier&klaviere," from 1996. Two sets of simple prelude figures are turned over and under each other for 15 minutes. It's an amazing feat of concentration and dexterity." (Thom Jurek, Allmusic)