Concordance: 150 Years Of Charles Ives
Owsley Stanley, 2026
9/10
Listen to Concordance: 150 Years Of Charles Ives
The late Grateful Dead legend, Phil Lesh, and Grateful Dead sound man Owsley Stanley (Bear), preserve the works of Charles Ives across these 2 discs that showcase John Kirkpatrick and Donald Berman’s piano playing.
Kirkpatrick takes the first disc, where a live set from 1974 at the Marin Veterans Memorial Auditorium unfolds with the 4 movements of “Piano Sonata No. 2 “Concord, Mass. 1840-1860”. The keys are often played firmly, where tense bouts can border on frantic, but there’s also plenty of serenity and warmth as well.
Disc 2 has Berman handling the selections. His take on “Piano Sonata No. 2 “Concord, Mass. 1840-1860” leads and is a colorful and meticulous version that runs a little longer than Kirkpatrick’s and was captured in 2025.
The last 4 selections celebrate four women Transcendentalists in the spirit of Ives. “As Syllable From Sound”, by Eve Beglarian, offers intimacy and much poeticism that tips its hat to Emily Dickinson, while “Summer on the Lakes, in 1843”, by Elena Ruehr, finds a mesmerizing place to reside via the flowing, dynamic key progressions that pay tribute to Margaret Fuller.
The package includes a 112 page booklet of wonderful backstories, interviews, and liner notes on the album, and the music illuminates Ives’ inimitable take on classical music thanks to the careful and detailed pieces.
Travels well with: Bruce Levingston- The Elastic Heart Of Youth; Rachel Yonan- Kiss On Wood