Today marks the centenary of Morton Feldman, one of the most distinctive and quietly radical voices of 20th-century music. Closely associated with the New York School and with artists such as John Cage, Feldman reshaped ideas of musical time, texture, and listening through works that unfold with extreme patience, delicacy, and attention to sound itself. His music resists conventional narrative and dramatic development, inviting instead an immersive, almost suspended experience of duration and colour.
Feldman’s 100th birthday has prompted a wide range of tributes and performances around the world. Reflecting on the anniversary, musical journalist Alex Ross has published an extensive article on his blog The rest is noise , situating Feldman’s legacy today and compiling a list of forthcoming events dedicated to the composer. Rather than focusing on a single concert or celebration, the centenary serves as a reminder of Feldman’s enduring influence across contemporary music and beyond.
In this section—where Moto Perpetuo usually features a recent or newly released video—we have chosen instead to mark the occasion by returning to one of Feldman’s most emblematic works. This performance of Rothko Chapel offers a fitting tribute to a composer whose music continues to redefine how we listen.
Rothko Chapel — Ensemble intercontemporain
Composed in 1971, Rothko Chapel stands at the centre of Feldman’s output. Written for mixed ensemble and voices, the work was inspired by the ecumenical chapel in Houston housing paintings by Mark Rothko, and it reflects Feldman’s deep engagement with visual art, space, and quiet contemplation.
This performance brings together the Ensemble intercontemporain, the vocal ensemble Les Cris de Paris, and conductor Gregor A. Mayrhofer, in a live recording made at the Cité de la musique in Paris in February 2017. The result captures the fragile balance, hushed intensity, and suspended time that define Feldman’s sound world—qualities that feel especially resonant as his centenary is observed.
Video details
Morton Feldman — Rothko Chapel
John Stulz, alto
Géraldine Dutronc, celesta
Samuel Favre, percussion
Adèle Carlier, soprano solo
Les Cris de Paris
Gregor A. Mayrhofer, conductor
Recorded live on 24 February 2017, Cité de la musique, Paris
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