The Wergo recording is the first *complete* recording of Schwitters himself performing his own Ursonate. Partial recordnings of Schwitters performing one movement existed prior to this. Recordings of other artists interpreting the Ursonate were also available. Jack Ox discovered the complete Schwitters recording in her research on Schwitters for a project. It was hidden away in an archive, unreleased. First, she authenticated the recording as Schwitters's own voice through Schwitters's now-late son, Ernst. Then she arrange permission for publication with the Schwitters estate. She brought it to the attention of Wergo and it was duly published. It is the only extant version of Schwitters himself performing the complete Ursonate. One of the important issues in this recording is the way in which it makes Schwitters's own ideas about interpreting the score clear. You will find many differences between Schwitters's own view of the work and the renditions of the Ursonate developed by others. There have long been controversies about the way the work ought to be performed. Until this work was released, all arguments on the intention of the artist-composer himself were purely speculative. Needless to say, any work may be interpreted in different ways. Perhaps an interpretation by someone other than the artist-composer is even better in some regard. What is now established, however, is that there is (and was) a specific intention in Schwitters's own mind -- at least at the time he recorded the work. Jack Ox, herself a distinguished intermedia artist, did a great service in locating this work, and making it available to the rest of us. People had looked for this tape for years without success. Finally, some historians concluded it had either been destroyed or that it had never existed. There was no prior available issue of the complete work by Schwitter himself before this release. Best regards, Ken Friedman -- Ken Friedman, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Leadership and Strategic Design Department of Knowledge Management Norwegian School of Management +47 22.98.51.07 Direct line +47 22.98.51.11 Telefax Home office: +46 (46) 53.245 Telephone +46 (46) 53.345 Telefax email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
