Hmm, I see that this CD is way up there in the Amazon sales chart, logging in at number 1,279,xxx. Wow, talk about popular! OK, casting that aside, I also own two other recordings of "Music for a Summer Evening" (It is one of my favorite compositions.), those on Nonesuch and Bridge, respectfully, and I write here to tell anyone who might chance to read this that this recording on the Col Legno label easily outdoes those--it is outstanding, period. (I've also listened to the one other recording of this work, on Mode, and I found it to be definitely the least of all of them.) Talk about humility: the cover of the CD booklet does not even mention the name(s) of the performers, Ensemble New Art. I admire that humility. The performers are Fuat Kent (How's THAT for a name!?), piano and artistic director; Peter Degenhardt, piano; Carmen Erb, percussion; Hans-Peter Achberger, percussion. That which most distinguishes their performance of "Music ..." here is the shear musicality of it, a musicality not achieved in any of the other performances. My impression as a listener is that in the other recordings the performers were too enamored of the sounds themselves and too focused on the technical difficulties to attempt to delve deeply into this work as MUSIC. You will, if you are familiar with this work from any of the other recordings, notice the difference in musicality pretty much from the get-go: It is that striking. Much attention to detail here that you don't get elsewhere, as in the phrasing and even in the choice of the type of paper placed on the piano strings in Part 5. (This difference in the paper creates a special musical effect, softer and more ethereal here than in other recordings.) Another delight: Ms. Erb is of course a woman, and the feminine timbre of her voice adds an extra dimension to the "shouts" of Part 3. I could go on. As to sonics: They are superb, and I especially like the "amplification" of the "amplified pianos".The other two works on this CD show Crumb "in his element" in composing for the piano, in which he sees the piano not just as a keyboard instrument but as an instrument in toto, wherein the pianist is required also to strum, mute and pluck the strings in addition to keyboard work. And let's not forget the pedals: Crumb makes the most of them as well. I like these other works well enough, but for me, at least, they have not the haunting majesty of "Music for a Summer Evening".Do buy this disk!