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