Sonic Asymmetry

Charles Ives – “Symphony no.2”

チャールズ・アイヴス –  「交響曲第2番」

TIME COMMITMENT: 42 minutes

An agonizing and exhilarating debut by this ardent Primitivist.  How could this insurance agent pool street brass bands and folksy citations into such complex layers of hymns, polyrhythms and nascent atonality?  Although it was his 4th symphony that pushed the boundaries, Leonard Bernstein’s delectable introduction here is, again, a must.

MUSIC

INFO

A REFLECTION

I have been one acquainted with the night.

I have walked out in rain—and back in rain.

I have outwalked the furthest city light.

I have looked down the saddest city lane.

I have passed by the watchman on his beat

And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain.

Robert Frost: “Acquainted with the Night”