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.

Could you PLEASE teach my dog Charlie how to perform this work? The entire neighborhood will thank you.

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.....

Astonishing performance. The calmness yet authority of Pipo's performance of Cage's most famous and iconic work is one for the ages.

Indeed! Pipo's interpretation was purrfect.

I'm speechless.

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.

This piece is truly one of the moments of all time

This video was brilliant. The climax of Pipo's performance was transcendent. A wonderful legacy from Pipo.

I've been trying to post Pipo's rendition of 4'33" on my KZfaq channel, but Tinnitus Classics keeps sending me Cease and Desist notices and muting the video. Very frustrating!

Pipo ROCKS!!!! We miss you sweet cat musician.

I knew I could count on you to find the reference recording of this work.

Thank you - I was waiting for this !

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.

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?

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.

How long is it without repeats?

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 was wondering where this was going to go. Thank you! 😁

What a legacy Pipo leaves behind! I do hope one of my cats can achieve such greatness.

The lifetime of rehearsal is evident.

You should have included a HIP reference, which would include the opening and closing of the keyboard to demarcate the beginning and end of the piece, as David Tudor did at the premiere.

Maybe it's the recording that's lacking in detail, but I didn't hear Pipo purring during the performance. It's a pity because I think it really should be played with vibrato. Here she sounds a bit like Norrington's cat...

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.

Dave: That review was brilliant! Harold Schonberg would be jealous.

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."

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.

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.

Ptpo's interpretation was transcendant and carried me to heights previously unknown

Okay, I'm sold. Where can I get it? Did you put it on Bandcamp?

May Pipo's memory be a blessing.

Profound indeed.

Pipo's performance was definitely John "UN-CAGED" Thanks Dave

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.

"I have nothing to say and I'm saying it"--John Cage. More Pipo, please!

Apart from Rommel the Cat, the _actual_ Erwin Rommel also released his own recording. It tanked.

I just realized that my cat has been rehearsing the work for several months!

The biggest problem with this piece is that when the egg clock rings after 4.33 it destroys the whole experience.

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.)

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.

All hail Pipo!

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!

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.

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?

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!

My own recording is better. Took me 20 years to learn and research. RIP to Pipo. Her recording was inspirational and emotional

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.

Yes, Pipo had astounding stamina and control, and never panicked. Such grace and serenity.

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.)

I thought this was going to be some kind of joke. 🎉😂

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.

This was a landmark recording for the label, too. It was their first release where the audio engineering didn't leave my ears ringing.

Meowvellous!

What?! Not even a mention of Snowflake?

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.

Nepotism! The fix was in! The biased American feline-o-philic critic should have recused himself from commenting. And Gracie (from Star Trek IV) and her fellow species-mates are hotly contesting that only cats were allowed into consideration. After all, they argue, the best musicians (humpback whales) on the planet are also the best at silence when they do not sing.

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!

Sonics are terrible 😢 too much background noise. Excellent performance though!

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.

Call me Old Fashioned, but for me this masterpies was ruined by the HIP people

This channel is becoming too serious. Lighten things up a bit!