A View of the Universe

A symphony orchestra in which sounds of multiple natural phenomena merge in structures of almost infinite complexity – what could be a more fitting symbol for the world? Presumably that’s what Charles Ives also thought when he tackled his »Universe Symphony« in 1915. The American, known for his enjoyment of musical experimentation, was after nothing less than a musical portrait of the creation – from prehistorical beginnings to the evolution of nature and humankind and even further, to its future elevation to purely spiritual spheres. Ives may have been unable to finish this gigantic project, despite his efforts for many years, but in the meantime it has become possible to reconstruct what he had in mind with the help of his sketches. His polyrhythms and microtonal structures, the extraordinary, percussion-heavy instrumentation, the »earth chord« in the basses and the majestic »pulse of the cosmos« – all that can be heard in the evening concert of the Bochum Symphony Orchestra. In advance, Tung-Chieh Chuang, the orchestra’s new general music director, offers insights into Ives’ world from the piano.