The Perennial Question Of Existence Part 1

Ives: The Unanswered Question (Kristy Eagan, trumpet)
Beethoven: Fantasy for Piano, Chorus and Orchestra, Op. 80 (Beth Levin, Piano)
Brooklyn Conservatory Chorus and Orchestra conducted by James David Jacobs
Recorded June 22, 2003, Old First Reformed Church, Brooklyn
Videographer: Brian Bernhard
The Perennial Question of Existence is the name Charles Ives gave to the repeated trumpet motif in his composition The Unanswered Question, and it is the name of this half-hour program produced for WNYE TV in 2003. This was recorded during the first season of the Brooklyn Conservatory Community Orchestra; at that time the orchestra did not yet have a complete complement of musicians to cover all the parts, and the quality of musicianship among its members was wildly uneven, so the fact that it sounds as passionate and musical as it does is extraordinary. Beth Levin, who studied with Rudolf Serkin, gives a performance of the solo part in Beethoven's Choral Fantasy that seriously rivals any other performance available. It was shot by Brian Bernhard, who had never before done anything like this and whose only previous experience was in experimental animation, making this look like no other classical performance video. It begins with a brief talk about the music by the conductor.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Charles Ives
• The Unanswered Question
• James Jacobs

[hamasburi]

Score & Parts for Ives: The Unanswered Question at SheetMusicX [dot[ com

[chghisalberti]

Wretched conductor.

[annefire]

An excellent leader and conductor, James David Jacobs demonstrates that through collaborative effort and sincere commitment the process of making classical music--and pursuing the "perennial question"--is as vital now as it was in Ives' or Beethoven's time. It's wonderful to see this kind of passion for community and classical music combined.