Earplay: Bennett’s Second Reflection on Ives

Bruce Bennett, Margaret Halbig, Terrie Baune, Ellen Ruth Rose, Thalia Moore, and Tod Brody performing Bennett’s “answer” to Ives’ “Question” (screen shot from last night’s YouTube’s video feed of the Earplay recital)

Last night the Earplay chamber ensemble returned to the Noe Valley Ministry to present the second concert in its 41st season. Some readers may recall that the overall title of the season is Answering The Unanswered Question, inspired by Charles Ives’ enigmatic orchestral composition, “The Unanswered Question.” Bruce Bennett composed an arrangement of this music to begin last month’s concert, and last night saw a second arrangement. This one involved flute (Tod Brody), clarinet (Peter Josheff), violin (Terrie Baune), viola (Ellen Ruth Rose), cello (Thalia Moore), organ (Margaret Halbig), and synthesizer (Bennett).

In Bennett’s first arrangement, the question was posed by clarinet and answered by piano. Last night each of the instrumentalists had an opportunity to play the “question-asking” motif. This was an engaging way to introduce the ensemble to the audience, providing an overall context for the subsequent combinations of instruments in the following compositions. Those offerings were, as follows:

• “Searching the Way” by Hyo-shin Na: flute, clarinet violin, and cello
• “Haikus Notebook” by Benet Casablancas: flute (alternating with both alto and piccolo), clarinet (alternating with bass), violin, cello, and piano
• “Loki’s Lair” by Mark Winges: flute (alternating with alto), viola, and cello
• “The Wild Party” by Shuying Li: flute, clarinet, violin, viola, cello, piano, soprano (Chelsea Hollow), and conductor (Mary Chun)

This made for an impressive diversity of repertoire. Each of the composers found just the right duration to make sure that the listening experience would not overstay its welcome. Taken as a whole, the program was a throughly engaging journey through a wide variety of sonorities. The only real difficulty I encountered was that I was never able to make out any of the text that Hollow was singing. Since I livestreamed this performance from home, I have no idea whether the program book included the text by Joseph Moncure March.

Nevertheless, it was the music itself that mattered, and there was more than enough substantial listening to keep me occupied in this second “response” to the “Ives question.”