Ives, Charles

A Radical In A Suit And Tie: Premiere Recordings

Label: El Records Country: UK

"The music of Charles Ives is a cultural sourcebook of America at the beginning of the twentieth century. He took the evangelical hymns, the college songs, melodies of the dance hall, the tunes of small town bands and the sounds of village life and shaped them into musical works that are at one familiar and of startling originality. Long considered to be unplayable, his musical juxtapositions would prove to be enormously influential inform such kaleidoscopic inventions as Van Dyke Parks' "Song Cycle" and the Beach Boys' "Smile".

Ives today is regarded as a greatly original, immensely creative composer, who gave new dimensions to the vast and varied heritage of AmericaÕs music. A true American Original who marched to a different beat. Ives audience stretches beyond classical into the modern avant-garde fields of Cage, Varese and Stockhausen. He is very collectable and none of the pieces that comprise our edition have ever been re-released or restored digitally."-El Records (Cherry Red)