Earplay: Answering the Unanswered

Yesterday evening saw the beginning of Earplay’s 41st season, entitled Answering The Unanswered Question. The season was inspired by Charles Ives’ enigmatic orchestral composition, “The Unanswered Question” with the intention that each of the three programs of the season would also feature a new composition serving as an “answer.” Last night’s “response” was provided by Emma Logan, whose “What Lies at Dream’s End” was performed immediately after Bruce Bennetts’s arrangement of “The Unanswered Question” scored for flute (Tod Brody), clarinet (Peter Josheff), violin (Terrie Baune), viola (Ellen Ruth Rose), cello (Thalia Moore), and piano (Keisuke Nakagoshi).

In Ives’ original score, the “question” was posed by a solo instrument. Ives’ preference was a trumpet using a mute “unless playing in a very large room, or with a larger string orchestra.” The “response” was provided by a woodwind quartet, preferably four flutes but with possible substitutions of oboe and clarinet. Last night the exchange was performed by Josheff posing the question and Nakagoshi taking on attempts to answer.

My acquaintance with Ives’ music goes back to high school days. Unless I am mistaken, Eugene Ormandy introduced his second symphony to the Philadelphia Orchestra with a broad variety of responses from the audience. My work at the campus radio station of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology gave me the opportunity to get to know many of that composer’s works. I discovered that most of my professors (including Elliott Carter during a term as Visiting Professor) did not know what to make of him; but I had no trouble taking his raucous rhetoric at face value!

“The Unanswered Question” is far from raucous, but it still mystified just about anyone that tried to explain it. Personally, I have no trouble just taking the question-response structure at face value. If the question is never answered, I can still enjoy the music itself.

I would not be surprised if Logan adopted the same attitude. “What Lies at Dream’s End” is a trio for flute, viola, and piano. I came away with the impression that her music amounted to personal reflections after her encounter with Ives. Her music did not necessarily reflect Ives, but “The Unanswered Question” probably triggered her own personal thoughts. Personally, I cannot think of a better approach to “answering” Ives!

Terri Baune, Thalia Moore, Keisuke Nakagoshi, Peter Josheff, and Tod Brody playing John Harbison’s “Prelude-Variations” (screen shot from last night’s YouTube’s feed of the Earplay recital)

The first half of the program concluded with “Prelude–Variations,” composed by John Harbison in 2024. Given its West Coast premiere, this music was scored for flute, clarinet (doubling on bass clarinet), violin, cello, and piano. Unless I am mistaken, Harbison arrived at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology shortly before I left with my doctoral degree in hand. My encounters with him were brief, and our differences in opinion were immediately obvious! Earplay provided a solid account of this piece, but it had little impact on me.

The second half of the program was devoted entirely to Roger Reynolds’ “Shadowed Narrative.” Unfortunately, the audio on my live YouTube feed mysteriously vanished. Fortunately, I still have his For a Reason album in my collection!