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Ann Midgette, The New York Times
December 3, 2004

If the term "avant-garde" ceases to apply to deceased artists, Morton Feldman's long, thoughtful and detailed music has to be described with simple terms like "beauty". Often inspired by visual artists, Feldman had antique carpets in mind in "Patterns in a Chromatic Field", an 80-minute work that reflects the subtle variations in old dyes with microtonal writing. The cellist Charles Curtis, a new-music specialist whose past collaborators have ranged from Rudolf Firkusny to La Monte Young, and the pianist Aleck Karis, whose credits include Speculum Musicae, recorded the piece for Tzadik Records this year, and are performing it live this weekend.

Time Out New York
December 2, 2004

Even within the rarefied world of Morton Feldman's late music, "Patterns in a Chromatic Field", from 1981, seems anomalous. The music seems more wayward and astringent than usual for this composer, its dissonances more aggressive and sharply felt. An excellent new recording by cellist Charles Curtis and pianist Aleck Karis on the Tzadik label feels uncomfortably close at first; as your ears adjust, Feldman's tart voicings and steady tread become familiar, then engulfing. Tonight's live performance should offer full immersion.