by Jarrett Hoffman
TODAY’S ALMANAC:
American composer Charles Ives died on this date in 1954 in New York City at the age of 79. Just over a week ago, the New York City-based Junction Trio (above) performed his Piano Trio on the Cleveland Chamber Music Society series at Saint Paschal Baylon in Highland Heights, and a recording of the concert is still available to watch until the end of the day today.
Before the performance, violinist Stefan Jackiw shares some history about Ives, including one great story from the composer’s youth. Jackiw paints the scene of multiple bands playing marches in different keys, and converging on the Danbury, CT town square, where young Ives was “seated in the eye of this cacophonous storm.” Perhaps an influence on Ives’ polytonality?
Jackiw also discusses the discouragement Ives faced while studying composition at Yale, his success in the insurance industry, and one anecdote about his father, the bandmaster George Ives, who didn’t mind some off-key singing one bit. (“You won’t get a wild, heroic ride to heaven on pretty little sounds.”)
Click here to watch the concert, where you can listen to the Ives discussion at the 13:14 mark, then dig into the Piano Trio at 18:17. Also on the program: music by John Zorn and Beethoven. (Read our recent interview with all three Junction members here.)
One lesser-known composer to highlight today is Alice Mary Smith, who was born on this date in 1839, and who became the first British woman known to have composed a symphony. Her first of two contributions to that genre, in the key of c minor, was written at age 24 and premiered by the Musical Society of London in 1863.
Thankfully, conductor Howard Shelley and the London Mozart Players have recorded that fine work (listen here) as well as the beautifully lyrical Andante for Clarinet and Orchestra (here), where the orchestra is joined by clarinetist Angela Malsbury.
ONLINE TODAY:
At noon, the latest “Brahms-Fest” from Trinity Cathedral’s Virtual Brownbag series features the Piano Quintet in f in the hands of Andrew Sords and Mari Sato, violins, Claire Peyrebrune, viola, Helen Peyrebrune Hawersaat, cello, and Elizabeth DeMio, piano. (If you’re reading this later today, it’s still available here.)
Moving into the evening, violinist Miran Kim gives a 7pm guest recital at CIM, joined by violinist Yun-Ting Lee and pianist Shuai Wang. The program includes Brahms’ Violin Sonata No. 1 in G, Jessie Montgomery’s Rhapsody No. 1, and Prokofiev’s Sonata for Two Violins in C.
And at 7:30, Piano Cleveland offers the third and final session of its Prelude to Piano series: “What Makes it Great (And Not Just Good),” hosted by Yaron Kohlberg. “From technique and touch to interpretation, Yaron will take you through all the elements that make piano playing go from good to great.”
Details — and listening options from further afield — can be found in our Concert Listings.