ドイツの名門Wergoがレーベル設立50周年を記念し始動した、過去の名作を高音質のCDフォーマットで再発する"Studio Reihe Neuer Musik"シリーズ!!WDRの委嘱にて1961~62年にかけて作曲された重鎮シュトックハウゼンによる、ソプラノ、4つの合唱グループ、13人の楽器奏者のための名作[Momente]。複数の独立したイベントから構成されており、始まりも終わりも明確に指示されないという奇天烈作品。収録されているのはシュトックハウゼン指揮のもとに行われた1965年録音であり、ヒリヒリと張り詰めた緊張にて強靭な刹那のヴァリエーションを生み続ける超名演。
With the legendary “Studio Reihe Neuer Musik” series, Wergo created a trademark of advanced contemporary music in the Sixties of the past century already. On the occasion of its 50th anniversary, the label now releases these highlights of 20th-century music history in an excellent sound quality on CD for the first time.
"Studio Reihe” now continues with a work by Karlheinz Stockhausen: His “Momente” [Moments] for soprano, four choral groups, and thirteen instrumentalists have not been designed as a fixed work with a clearly defined beginning, formal structure, and ending but as a composition of independent events with multiple meanings: For example, the individual groups of moments should be combined for certain performances of the work in such a way that they form their own version – in accordance with the given duration of programme and sound means.
As soon as the arrangement of the moments has been determined and the performance material been set accordingly, certain moments are to be "inserted" in their neighbouring moments as well, to “remember” earlier ones or “announce” moments still to come.
Premiered on 21 May 1962, the composition underwent some changes in the following years which led to several variants, with this CD presenting "Version 1965". The recordings were originally published on LP in 1967.