Now online: A substantial panel about essential American composer Charles Ives with jazz and rock musicians Bill Frisell, Phil Lesh, David Sanford, Eric Hofbauer, Jack Cooper and myself, moderated by Ives scholar Judith Tick.
Thanks to Kathryn King and Donald Berman of the Charles Ives Society for organizing this unique opportunity.
Don Berman is a great pianist and has just released a new recording of the Ives Concord Sonata. From the press release:
Celebrating the sesquicentenary of Charles Ives’ birth, New England-based pianist and Ives scholar nonpareil Donald Berman releases a recording of the composer’s “Concord Sonata” using his own newly prepared edition which reveals fresh insights into the iconic work. Berman’s immersion into Ives’ sound world began under the tutelage of pianist John Kirkpatrick who gave the New York premiere of the “Concord Sonata” in 1939. Throughout many years of study and reflection, Berman discovered numerous notes and alterations that Ives made within the Concord’s manuscript pages, each one “a step toward realising his vision for a three-dimensional auditory experience.” Berman concluded that the first movement of the Concord, as Ives imagined it, is quite different than today’s commonly accepted version; his new edition includes two pages worth of material, masterfully recorded here for the first time.
How unusual for a famous piece to now have new opening pages! I like it.
I listened to Ives in my 20s, 45 years ago, and just couldn’t hear it. I just listened to the Donald Berman recording you noted and loved it. Thank you for the recommendation.🙏🏼
Truly stellar!