{"product_id":"4945604591782","title":"Blair String Quartet - American Classics - Ives: String Quartets \/ Blair Quartet - Import CD","description":"\u003cp\u003eCredits:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBlair String Quartet\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDescription:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese two string quartets—collages drawn from a variety of melodies, including hymns, folk songs, and classical masterpieces (such as Brahms’ Symphony No. 2, among others)—are a must-listen for fans. The Blair String Quartet performs throughout the United States, including at the Aspen Music Festival.\n\nCharles Ives, a true New Englander in both birth and temperament, began composing at the age of 11, but after giving up on making a living through music, he went on to build a successful career in the insurance industry. He was taught music by his father, George, a bandleader, who paved the way for the innovative techniques—such as polytonality, microtones, and spatial performance—that would later become synonymous with Ives. Ives’s two string quartets are contrasting in both content and compositional inspiration. The “No. 1” draws its musical inspiration from the revivalist movements and gospel hymns that Ives favored, and its vitality and originality serve as a prime example of Ives’s highly inventive creative power in his early years. The extremely complex “No. 2” was born out of the indignation typical of Ives, who found the conventional performance of string quartets to be effeminate. He himself summarized the work in its program notes as follows: “Four people exchange opinions, debate, argue, and eventually come to blows; then they make up and return to normal. After that, they set out up a mountain path to gaze at the vast sky.”\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Naxos","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53539255812385,"sku":"4945604591782","price":2690.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/8482\/2076\/files\/4945604591782.jpg?v=1789970973","url":"https:\/\/cdsvinyljapan.com\/products\/4945604591782","provider":"CDs Vinyl Japan Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}