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Kate Molleson explores the battles between Ives and his music professor Horatio Parker.

Charles Ives is considered a leading American composer of the early 20th century. Known for many musical innovations, his was a unique voice, a pioneer who combined elements of Western and American music traditions. He鈥檚 also been called a Yankee Maverick and much of his creative life was spent in obscurity. Marking the 150th anniversary since his birth, Kate Molleson shines the spotlight on the life and music of Charles Ives. This journey begins in Danbury where Ives grew up, going on to study at Yale, then working in Insurance in New York, and coming to a close in the mid twentieth century. In those final decades, and largely due to ill health, Ives had stopped composing. Ironically, it was at this point when his creative endeavours had ceased, that his music started to generate much interest.

Whilst at Yale Charles Ives composed much music, although some of his fellow students were unaware that he was a composer. During this time his music fell foul of the new Professor of Music, Horatio Parker. Parker鈥檚 musical tastes were formed in the European tradition, and he didn鈥檛 approve of the dissonances Ives introduced into his music, or his experimentation. This was a difficult time for Ives. In his first year at Yale, his father George who had been the main driving force behind his son's musical development, had died. Charles Ives did occasionally get the better of Parker and continued his own personal musical journey after his studies, once he鈥檇 moved to New York and started working as an insurance clerk. This was at a time when he also began his courtship of Harmony Twichell, who would eventually become his wife.

March No 6, with 鈥淗ere鈥檚 to Good Old Yale鈥�
Donald Berman, piano

The Circus Band
San Francisco Girls Chorus
San Francisco Symphony Chorus
San Francisco Symphony
Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor

Adeste Fideles
Hans-Ola Ericsson, organ

Feldeinsamkeit
Julia Sophie Wagner, soprano
Steffen Schleiermacher, piano

Mists
Julia Sophie Wagner, soprano
Steffen Schleiermacher, piano

Symphony No 2 (excerpt)
Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
Gustavo Dudamel

Central Park in the Dark
Dallas Symphony Orchestra
Andrew Litton, conductor

Produced by Luke Whitlock