Ives: Symphony No. 1; Symphony No. 4; Central Park in the Dark; Symphony No. 2; Symphony No. 3; General William Booth enters into Heaven

COMPOSERS: Ives
LABELS: Hyperion
ALBUM TITLE: Ives
WORKS: Symphony No. 1; Symphony No. 4; Central Park in the Dark; Symphony No. 2; Symphony No. 3; General William Booth enters into Heaven
PERFORMER: Dallas Symphony Orchestra/

Andrew Litton
CATALOGUE NO: SACDA 67540

Ives’ four symphonies make a strange



and fascinating set. Heard back-toback,



as Hyperion presents them,



the First and Fourth symphonies



seem galaxies apart. The First



(1900), composed while Ives was



studying with Horatio Parker at Yale



University, is an affectionate (and also occasionally irreverent) homage



to the great symphonic essays of



Brahms, Dvo?ák and Tchaikovsky.



The Fourth (1912-25), by contrast,



traces a vast and difficult spiritual



journey through music of astonishing



rhythmic complexity, textural variety



and dramatic freshness.



Put the central two symphonies



in the picture, however, and a path



can be discerned. The Second (1902)



fills a similar Romantic mould to



its predecessor, though its themes



are drawn from American folk and



popular traditions. The considerably



more slender Third (1904) builds



upon the Second’s homespun



qualities, yet Ives’ own voice is



already so much clearer – and, as



in the Fourth, its effect is at once



nostalgic and exploratory.



Andrew Litton’s survey of



Ives’ symphonies improves as it



goes along. In both the First and



Second, the Dallas musicians fail



to match the rhythmic vitality of



their counterparts in Chicago and



Amsterdam under Tilson Thomas.



Litton overloads the climaxes of the



First, too, throwing the symphony’s



already awkward structure further



off balance; he seems more at home



in the Second’s roomier structure.



Recorded balance is also problematic



in both of these works, burying



important woodwind detail under a



plush pile of strings.Litton hits his stride in the



Third – an evocatively Romantic,



overwhelmingly lyrical, and



dangerously expansive interpretation.



The result is ravishing, and here



Hyperion’s engineers have got



it absolutely right, giving the



score’s ‘shadow lines’ (dissonant



yet complementary parts meant



to hover in the background) their



proper distance. His Fourth is better



still. How ravishing the divided



strings sound at the opening of the



treacherous ‘Comedy’ movement,



their layered quarter-tones creating



a glistening sonic web. And in



the main body of the movement,



as the music gains in density and



momentum, Litton manoeuvres so



deftly through the sudden shifts in



tempo and character that the result



is unexpectedly dreamlike – a truly



haunting effect.



Tilson Thomas’ cycle fotr Sony



will likely prove more consistently



satisfying, though Litton’s individual



and compelling interpretations of



the Third and especially the Fourth



symphonies are well-worth hearing.



Andrew Farach-Colton