Free Tonight: Ives and Gershwin Piano Music

By Alexander Hough in Arts & Entertainment on Jun 23, 2009 6:00PM

Rush Hour, the free weekly after-work concert series at the St. James Cathedral, offers up yet another great show tonight, with piano music by Charles Ives and George Gershwin and poetry by Kevin Coval.

Arguably the greatest American classical composer, and certainly one of the first to bring a uniquely American sound to the concert hall, Ives was heavily influenced by his father, a bandleader who taught him to sing in one key while being accompanied in another - a particularly novel feat during the late 1800s. Ives formed his iconic sound by combining avant-garde techniques, such as this polytonality, with his formal classical education, all of which was informed by his background in traditional American music. If you're open to conversion, check out composer and Ives biographer Jan Swafford's recent article, complete with music samples, over at Slate. Pianist James Giles will play "The Alcotts," the third movement from one of Ives's most famous pieces, his Piano Sonata No. 2. The piece, better known as "Concord Sonata," is a tribute to Transcendentalists whose careers centered around Concord, Massachusetts.

Giles will also perform George Gershwin's "Three Preludes for Piano." If development of a singular sound is the measure of an American composer, Gershwin rivals Ives as our noted national voice. His music was so unique that his request to study with Nadia Boulanger, whose student list reads like a 20th century composer all-star team, was famously turned down because Boulanger didn't want to risk altering his style in any way. Giles's repertoire betrays a deep love for Gershwin, so expect an especially good performance here.

Also on the concert will be poetry by Chicago spoken word artist Kevin Coval. Coval's appearances include HBO's "Def Poetry," NPR, and the Huffington Post, to name just a few. For a good primer on the poet, check out Centerstage's interview from earlier this year.

As always, Rush Hour begins with a half hour of finger food and wine, followed by a half hour of music.

65 E. Huron, tonight, June 23, 5:15 p.m. reception, 5:45 p.m. concert, FREE