TT 446: Charles Ives at 150
Jeremy Denk in the New York Times
How terrific that pianist Jeremy Denk was given space at the New York Times for a sharp-eyed assessment of one of our great composers, Charles Ives. [Gift link.]
Unique to the essay is Denk’s play by play of his new record of Ives violin sonatas with Stefan Jackiw. What a generous gift to listeners.
Near the end Denk writes of Ives, “His music suggests America will just have to muddle through, and wrestle with its own failure.”
Here’s the short but entrancing first movement of the fourth sonata:
George Grella also gives a valuable overview of Ives at Kill Yr Idols.
A bit over a year ago I went somewhat deep on Ives here at Transitional Technology.
My Personal History with Charles Ives
Two Early Symphonies by Ives and Stravinsky
All this was in preparation for the awesome Charles Ives panel with Jack Cooper, Bill Frisell, Eric Hofbauer, Ethan Iverson, Phil Lesh and David Sanford, moderated by Judith Tick.
Happy Ives 150! My father Philip Carey recorded on the Gregg Smith Singers' Ives albums for Columbia—but in 1970 he also produced what would've been (to my knowledge) the first multi-day Ives festival, at CSU Long Beach. (The event was unfortunately canceled one day before it began when Ronald Reagan ordered the closure of all CSU campuses due to antiwar protests.) In honor of Ives' 150th I've gathered some of the materials he put together for the event, including letters about Ives from notable Americans ranging from John Cage to Lou Harrison to Joan Baez to Norman Rockwell. Check it out: https://www.strangeartofphilipcarey.com/a-charles-ives-holiday-1970
Please note Brooklyn's own Simone Dinnerstein has just released The Eye Is the First Circle, Ives' Concord Sonata @ https://www.simonedinnerstein.com/
Her 18th album.