I prefer Celibidache's live version, recorded in Turin in the early 1990s. Sure, it lasts an hour and a half, but the transcendent intensity is incredible.
Are you not mistaken by another conductor. I don't think Celi conducted in Turin in the 90s. Maybe you mean the Munich performance, it's astonishing (and -if i may say so- better than the one on Tinnitus)
My old cat Yogi once gave an absolutely riveting performance of 4'33". Unfortunately, the recording was never released commercially as the battery on my camera died at 4'31". My producer said we could alter the recording to get another two seconds, but I could not allow such chicanery to besmirch Yoga's artistic and meditative reputation.
Slayer delivered an absolutely brutal rendition of 4' 33" as an encore at Bloodstock in 2016. The crowd walked away stunned at what they just hadn't heard.
When anyone discusses/asks 'what is music' - I insist that any definition takes 4'33'' into account. Btw; I saw Rommel's performance - I thought he tanked.....
Rarely does Dave incorporate two (!) Reference Recordings in one video - but this was certainly one such occasion. Pipo's recording is without doubt one of the finest versions of Mr Cage's most famous opus(sy) and it goes without saying (oops and darn it, I just said it) that Dave's own performance here is one of the finest of all exhibits in his channel's playlist of Reference Recordings. We Mighty can surely (Shelley?) only look on such works and despair. Thank you, sir, for providing an uplifting end to my day.
My fluffball princess diana could never learn this difficult work in full, being an uneducated feline of the street, and an eternal chitterer(I’ve never had a cat who could not hold 20 seconds worth of silence before). But, my tuxedo cat Charles Wallace, from an early age, produced many unbelievable performances of it. Hard to believe a kitten could be capable of such delicate, raw, unexpressed emotion. A true prodigy, and his performances have only been refined and deepened with age.
Yes! John Cage, himself a cat person, would have definitely been thrilled to have experienced Pipo's unmatched performance, and would have probably felt deeply honored.
I've been trying to post Pipo's rendition of 4'33" on my TH-cam channel, but Tinnitus Classics keeps sending me Cease and Desist notices and muting the video. Very frustrating!
I feel very proud to have acquired Pipo's outstanding performance of 4'33" at Tinnitus's release party at the Pierre. I also treasure Pipo's signature album, the 2CD My Favorite Fermatae. I decided to give a copy to my own cat to encourage her to take up a professional career, but I'm having trouble tracking down the recording, even on its vinyl mono release. Tinnitus is usually so good about keeping things in the catalogue.
Hopefully Tinnitus Classics is recording, as we speak, Cage's ASLSP in Halberstadt. A new note was played on 5 February of this year! -- next one on 5 August 2026... I'm told the interpretation is nothing short of revelatory.
With so many strong competitors, I'm astonished at how you maintained your objectivity in making this choice. Sadly, Pippo pre-dates my time with your videos, but the quality of her performance really comes through in the clip you showed.
My graduate thesis was an in-depth study of 4'33", which was one blank page after another. I also provided the thesis committee with a CD of 4'33". Finally, during my oral defense. I said nothing but with conviction. (By the way, I was tested beforehand.)
Have you heard any of the cat Rosemary Brown's recordings? She claims to have spoken with the spirit of the late John Cage and written three pieces he dictated to her - 6'42", 5'21", and 8'56". And what about the cat Joyce Hatto's version?
Just for fun, i asked chat gpt. "John Cage's "4'33"" is a composition where the performer remains silent, creating an experience of ambient sounds in the environment. There isn't a single reference recording since each performance captures unique ambient sounds. However, David Tudor's premiere performance in 1952 is often referenced as it marked the first public presentation of the piece."
Once again David dismisses the unique British contribution to the discography. Winston Churchill’s ginger cat Jock made the first stereo recording to appear on LP and this immediately superceded the German version made under less than ideal wartime conditions. For many years it was the Penguin Record Guides rosette version.
My cat Fluffy gave a world class performance but successfully sued me over publishing rights. The recording remains locked in her safe deposit vault at the bank.
Wait a minute, how can there be historic recordings by Rommel from the 40s when Cage did write the piece not before 1952? I'm confused... time travelling cat performers? What world are we living in? Besides that the rendition by Pipo is truely remarkable!
All composers occasionally lift segments from their other compositions. What's little known is that 4'33" is really an excerpt from a previously unpublished and untitled piece that was only released posthumously upon his death. That premier "live" performance began on August 12, 1992 and hasn't ended yet.
I wish they played this work more often in supermarkets, elevators and the people in the next apartment could well do with playing this on repeat rather than Kanye's and 50 Cents more recent symphonies. That's my opinion anyway. My dad has played this on repeat since I saw him last in 2017.
This is outrageous - it is the opinion of the CAT people. What about the great recording by my Great Dane Axel (with fart obbligato) or his dearly departed Aunt Freya’s 1980 early digital one Docca (Neville Marriner and the Adoggamy of St Bernard in the Meadows)? Your survey is really incomplete. And what about the 1906 recording of Tsar Nicolas’ poodle Nicolai? Outrageous, I tell you!
Pipo's has actually become a historical recording, since the artist is no longer with us. Maybe, Mildred and Finster might give us their takes of 4'33". By the way, were Rommel and Eva Braun kitlers?
You must've considered this idea: sitting in front of the camera silently for 4'33" and then ending the video by saying: "that's it! I produced a reference recording of 4'33" . it think it might've been a copyright infringement on John Cage's part - he didn't invent silence, he just put his name next to it. It's akin to a well-known painting "Black Square" by Kazimir Malevich. it's hardly an original idea.
Why rule out the 3min28sec version? Very likely the first movement exposition repeat wasn't taken, a legitimate perfomrance choice for all but the most rabid Cagists.
Well, 8 full minutes of talk about 4'33" - I had to tune in just for curiosity (especially since I can understand everything at 2x speed). I know you & Cage share a love of cats, so the report is unsurprising. But I’m itching to tell the (true) story of finding the _published_ “score” of this work, properly catalogued in the Sibley Library, which specifies only that it has 3 movements, all marked TACET. It does not specify the timings, so the popular “title” of the work is misleading. (Sorry for the earnest interruption … carry on.)
So why is 4'33" that specific length? Is it about silence or ambient sound? The following might be clue. 4' 33" consists of 273 seconds. Absolute zero is the lowest point of the thermodynamic temperature scale and is - 273 degrees Celsius. It is where enthalpy and entropy of a cooled ideal gas are at a minimum. There is essentially zero molecular vibration with only some quantum mechanical zero-point energy induced particle motion. It is a fundamental limit of the universe. You can not get a colder temperature than absolute zero. You can not measure absolute zero as any process you use to measure something at absolute zero will warm up the object. So absolute zero is about silence and stillness and lack of movement. So that suggests 4'33" is about silence and not ambient sound. Fun Fact: 4'33" consists of three movements! I bought the sheet music for fun. (Technical note: absolute zero is precisely -273.15 C but 0.15 of a second is not something you can practically get in music. I suppose Cage could have used the full value of absolute zero and made the piece 27315 seconds long which would have made it 455' 15". It is not quite as catchy and an almost 8 hour performance might wear thin on the audience.
@@DavesClassicalGuide Cheers! My family had an old record player. It had not 33 1/3, 45 and 78 rpm but also 16 rpm. I've never seen a 16 rpm record. I presume it was maybe used for the spoken word. Maybe ye olde dictaphone recordings?
I'd like to politely disagree, everyone knows the best performance is by kitten Berlioz from "The Aristocats" 😁😁. Meanwhile, my neighborhood's cat is such a bad instrumentalist, it wasn't even able to pull out a performance of this piece - At 2' 16'' you can even hear a middle C it struck with a paw!
Where's the piano? You've got to have a piano (preferably a Steinway) within paws distance to properly perform this piece, otherwise Pipo is disqualified for consideration. Sorry.
I prefer Celibidache's live version, recorded in Turin in the early 1990s. Sure, it lasts an hour and a half, but the transcendent intensity is incredible.
LOL
Good one, lol! :) :)
XDDDD
Are you not mistaken by another conductor. I don't think Celi conducted in Turin in the 90s. Maybe you mean the Munich performance, it's astonishing (and -if i may say so- better than the one on Tinnitus)
Could you PLEASE teach my dog Charlie how to perform this work? The entire neighborhood will thank you.
Sorry. The union won't allow it.
Astonishing performance. The calmness yet authority of Pipo's performance of Cage's most famous and iconic work is one for the ages.
My old cat Yogi once gave an absolutely riveting performance of 4'33". Unfortunately, the recording was never released commercially as the battery on my camera died at 4'31". My producer said we could alter the recording to get another two seconds, but I could not allow such chicanery to besmirch Yoga's artistic and meditative reputation.
Slayer delivered an absolutely brutal rendition of 4' 33" as an encore at Bloodstock in 2016. The crowd walked away stunned at what they just hadn't heard.
This piece is truly one of the moments of all time
Good one. Funny seeing meme lingo in David’s comment section. Not something I expected 😊
I knew I could count on you to find the reference recording of this work.
I'm speechless.
Reference Comment.
Indeed! Pipo's interpretation was purrfect.
When anyone discusses/asks 'what is music' - I insist that any definition takes 4'33'' into account. Btw; I saw Rommel's performance - I thought he tanked.....
This video was brilliant. The climax of Pipo's performance was transcendent. A wonderful legacy from Pipo.
Pipo ROCKS!!!!
We miss you sweet cat musician.
i somehow missed this video when it was premiered; it is certainly one of your (and the late Pipo's) finest work.
Rarely does Dave incorporate two (!) Reference Recordings in one video - but this was certainly one such occasion. Pipo's recording is without doubt one of the finest versions of Mr Cage's most famous opus(sy) and it goes without saying (oops and darn it, I just said it) that Dave's own performance here is one of the finest of all exhibits in his channel's playlist of Reference Recordings. We Mighty can surely (Shelley?) only look on such works and despair. Thank you, sir, for providing an uplifting end to my day.
You're very welcome.
While pianists turn the pages of the score in this piece, Pipo clearly knows it by heart!
My fluffball princess diana could never learn this difficult work in full, being an uneducated feline of the street, and an eternal chitterer(I’ve never had a cat who could not hold 20 seconds worth of silence before). But, my tuxedo cat Charles Wallace, from an early age, produced many unbelievable performances of it. Hard to believe a kitten could be capable of such delicate, raw, unexpressed emotion. A true prodigy, and his performances have only been refined and deepened with age.
Yes! John Cage, himself a cat person, would have definitely been thrilled to have experienced Pipo's unmatched performance, and would have probably felt deeply honored.
I've been trying to post Pipo's rendition of 4'33" on my TH-cam channel, but Tinnitus Classics keeps sending me Cease and Desist notices and muting the video. Very frustrating!
I’ll look into it. Pipo”s estate is difficult to deal with.
I’ll look into it. Pipo”s estate is difficult to deal with.
What a legacy Pipo leaves behind! I do hope one of my cats can achieve such greatness.
The Rommel/Braun recording was ahead of its time, but mono recordings just don't do justice to this kind of music. So, yes, three meows for Pipo.
I feel very proud to have acquired Pipo's outstanding performance of 4'33" at Tinnitus's release party at the Pierre. I also treasure Pipo's signature album, the 2CD My Favorite Fermatae. I decided to give a copy to my own cat to encourage her to take up a professional career, but I'm having trouble tracking down the recording, even on its vinyl mono release. Tinnitus is usually so good about keeping things in the catalogue.
I'll look into it.
May Pipo's memory be a blessing.
Pipo's performance was definitely John "UN-CAGED" Thanks Dave
Hopefully Tinnitus Classics is recording, as we speak, Cage's ASLSP in Halberstadt. A new note was played on 5 February of this year! -- next one on 5 August 2026... I'm told the interpretation is nothing short of revelatory.
I was wondering where this was going to go. Thank you! 😁
Ptpo's interpretation was transcendant and carried me to heights previously unknown
Dave: That review was brilliant! Harold Schonberg would be jealous.
"I have nothing to say and I'm saying it"--John Cage. More Pipo, please!
The lifetime of rehearsal is evident.
Thank you - I was waiting for this !
With so many strong competitors, I'm astonished at how you maintained your objectivity in making this choice. Sadly, Pippo pre-dates my time with your videos, but the quality of her performance really comes through in the clip you showed.
How long is it without repeats?
2:16, give or take.
My graduate thesis was an in-depth study of 4'33", which was one blank page after another. I also provided the thesis committee with a CD of 4'33". Finally, during my oral defense. I said nothing but with conviction. (By the way, I was tested beforehand.)
Have you heard any of the cat Rosemary Brown's recordings? She claims to have spoken with the spirit of the late John Cage and written three pieces he dictated to her - 6'42", 5'21", and 8'56". And what about the cat Joyce Hatto's version?
Hahahaha! 😂 Good on yer, Dave! I am not sure i can live with that rallentando Pipo makes towards the end but.... that's just me.
Profound indeed.
I just realized that my cat has been rehearsing the work for several months!
Just for fun, i asked chat gpt. "John Cage's "4'33"" is a composition where the performer remains silent, creating an experience of ambient sounds in the environment. There isn't a single reference recording since each performance captures unique ambient sounds. However, David Tudor's premiere performance in 1952 is often referenced as it marked the first public presentation of the piece."
Obviously Chat GPT needs to educate itself further.
Apart from Rommel the Cat, the _actual_ Erwin Rommel also released his own recording. It tanked.
chuckle
All hail Pipo!
Yes, Pipo had astounding stamina and control, and never panicked. Such grace and serenity.
The biggest problem with this piece is that when the egg clock rings after 4.33 it destroys the whole experience.
Once again David dismisses the unique British contribution to the discography. Winston Churchill’s ginger cat Jock made the first stereo recording to appear on LP and this immediately superceded the German version made under less than ideal wartime conditions. For many years it was the Penguin Record Guides rosette version.
Okay, I'm sold. Where can I get it? Did you put it on Bandcamp?
My cat Fluffy gave a world class performance but successfully sued me over publishing rights. The recording remains locked in her safe deposit vault at the bank.
My own recording is better. Took me 20 years to learn and research. RIP to Pipo. Her recording was inspirational and emotional
Her.
@@DavesClassicalGuide Sorry. But I took almost my whole life studying this groundbreaking peice of music
Wait a minute, how can there be historic recordings by Rommel from the 40s when Cage did write the piece not before 1952? I'm confused... time travelling cat performers? What world are we living in? Besides that the rendition by Pipo is truely remarkable!
Let’s not get pedantic about mere chronology.
All composers occasionally lift segments from their other compositions.
What's little known is that 4'33" is really an excerpt from a previously unpublished and untitled piece that was only released posthumously upon his death. That premier "live" performance began on August 12, 1992 and hasn't ended yet.
@@HermanVonPetri Yes, and it was edited and published by William Carrigan
This was a landmark recording for the label, too. It was their first release where the audio engineering didn't leave my ears ringing.
I wish they played this work more often in supermarkets, elevators and the people in the next apartment could well do with playing this on repeat rather than Kanye's and 50 Cents more recent symphonies. That's my opinion anyway. My dad has played this on repeat since I saw him last in 2017.
This is outrageous - it is the opinion of the CAT people. What about the great recording by my Great Dane Axel (with fart obbligato) or his dearly departed Aunt Freya’s 1980 early digital one Docca (Neville Marriner and the Adoggamy of St Bernard in the Meadows)? Your survey is really incomplete. And what about the 1906 recording of Tsar Nicolas’ poodle Nicolai? Outrageous, I tell you!
Pipo's has actually become a historical recording, since the artist is no longer with us.
Maybe, Mildred and Finster might give us their takes of 4'33".
By the way, were Rommel and Eva Braun kitlers?
The best recordings of this piece doesn't use any vibrato at all. So, I prefer maestro Norris Washington version.
You must've considered this idea: sitting in front of the camera silently for 4'33" and then ending the video by saying: "that's it! I produced a reference recording of 4'33" . it think it might've been a copyright infringement on John Cage's part - he didn't invent silence, he just put his name next to it. It's akin to a well-known painting "Black Square" by Kazimir Malevich. it's hardly an original idea.
It never occurred to me because Pipo owned the piece and would have killed me if I tried to steal the spotlight.
Why rule out the 3min28sec version? Very likely the first movement exposition repeat wasn't taken, a legitimate perfomrance choice for all but the most rabid Cagists.
Well, 8 full minutes of talk about 4'33" - I had to tune in just for curiosity (especially since I can understand everything at 2x speed). I know you & Cage share a love of cats, so the report is unsurprising. But I’m itching to tell the (true) story of finding the _published_ “score” of this work, properly catalogued in the Sibley Library, which specifies only that it has 3 movements, all marked TACET. It does not specify the timings, so the popular “title” of the work is misleading. (Sorry for the earnest interruption … carry on.)
Meowvellous!
So why is 4'33" that specific length? Is it about silence or ambient sound?
The following might be clue. 4' 33" consists of 273 seconds. Absolute zero is the lowest point of the thermodynamic temperature scale and is - 273 degrees Celsius. It is where enthalpy and entropy of a cooled ideal gas are at a minimum. There is essentially zero molecular vibration with only some quantum mechanical zero-point energy induced particle motion. It is a fundamental limit of the universe. You can not get a colder temperature than absolute zero. You can not measure absolute zero as any process you use to measure something at absolute zero will warm up the object.
So absolute zero is about silence and stillness and lack of movement. So that suggests 4'33" is about silence and not ambient sound.
Fun Fact: 4'33" consists of three movements! I bought the sheet music for fun.
(Technical note: absolute zero is precisely -273.15 C but 0.15 of a second is not something you can practically get in music. I suppose Cage could have used the full value of absolute zero and made the piece 27315 seconds long which would have made it 455' 15". It is not quite as catchy and an almost 8 hour performance might wear thin on the audience.
It's the length of a single-sided 78rpm record.
@@DavesClassicalGuide Cheers! My family had an old record player. It had not 33 1/3, 45 and 78 rpm but also 16 rpm. I've never seen a 16 rpm record. I presume it was maybe used for the spoken word. Maybe ye olde dictaphone recordings?
😂😂😂😂😂
Call me Old Fashioned, but for me this masterpies was ruined by the HIP people
I'd like to politely disagree, everyone knows the best performance is by kitten Berlioz from "The Aristocats" 😁😁.
Meanwhile, my neighborhood's cat is such a bad instrumentalist, it wasn't even able to pull out a performance of this piece - At 2' 16'' you can even hear a middle C it struck with a paw!
Where's the piano? You've got to have a piano (preferably a Steinway) within paws distance to properly perform this piece, otherwise Pipo is disqualified for consideration. Sorry.
it's simply drawing the logical conclusion of modern music sounding like a cat on the piano?
I almost forgot. Pipo had to have a stop watch, too. No piano, no stop watch, no performance.
What?! Not even a mention of Snowflake?
Sonics are terrible 😢 too much background noise. Excellent performance though!
The environment is the whole point of 4'33". Without background it is just silence. Pipo understands that.
Heh heh heh...
By the way, my dog's performance is far better than any cats. Much better than his Bach any how, which tends to be too loud.
4'33" was actually commissioned from Cage by John de Lancie for his basset hound.
Didn't Mozart write a concerto for Bassett Hound?
This channel is becoming too serious. Lighten things up a bit!
I'll try.
@@DavesClassicalGuide 🤣