Gerd Zacher is an important figure in every history of twentieth century music. He was the most important New Music organist in the world, and it was thanks to him that composers such as György Ligeti, John Cage, Mauricio Kagel, Dieter Schnebel, and Isang Yun wrote so much music for the organ.

It is less well known that Gerd Zacher was also an excellent composer, since he long withheld his compositions from the public. His cycle for organ, Die Kunst der Fuge, was released in 1990 (WER61842), but most of his works remain to be discovered, and WERGO is now proud to present posthumously a second portrait album: “Event(ualitie)s”. The music is fascinating and full of surprises.

These are the first recordings of all the works on the album, most of which were prepared in consultation with either Zacher himself or his longtime companion, composer Juan Allende-Blin. A central artistic question for Zacher was always the relationship between composition and improvisation, notation and interpretation. The solo and duo works on this double album were composed over a span of more than fifty years. They are for the most part precisely notated, but there are also passages that leave broad discretion to the performer, as in 75 Event(ualitie)s, dedicated to John Cage. The duo compositions in particular give a lively impression of Zacher’s ability to create a musical dialogue between spontaneity and consideration.