I submitted a review of this to Amazon UK, but they didn't use it. I then posted a shorter version - same result. Anyway, I am loath to waste it, so here it is, for what it's worth:
1. Concord sonata / Movt from Sonata 1 (Kirkpatrick, 1945) One of the first commercial recordings of any of Ives' music, this still sounds pretty good after nearly 80 years. A few LP swishes are not very obtrusive, and Kirkpatrick's command is astonishing.
2. Sonata no. 1 (Masselos) / Violin Sonata 2 (Travis / Klein) 1950. Just as Kirkpatrick owned the "Concord" Sonata, so Masselos owns the First. This is an amazing performance, very well recorded. The Violin Sonata No. 2 is a wonderful makeweight.
3. Symphony 2 plus talk (Bernstein) 1958 (talk 1966). Bernstein conducted the world premiere of the 2nd Symphony in 1951, helping to bring Ives' music to a wider audience through radio. Sadly, he didn't contact Ives to discuss the piece, and made several interpretative decisions that infuriated the composer.
This recording is from a few years later, and sounds very good, although the underlining of the "Bronx cheer" at the very end of the symphony seems over-emphatic. Bernstein's talk about Ives is interesting.
4. Symphony 4 / Robert Browning overture (Stokowski) 1965 / 1966. Stokowski gave the world premiere of the Symphony around the time of this recording, and the 83-hear old conductor has an remarkable control over it's wilder passages. His achievement is very moving, and the overture is excellent played too.
5. Symphony 3 / Central Park / Decorations Day / Unanswered Question (Bernstein) / Variations on America (Biggs) 1962 / 1965, Biggs 1960. A good selection of characteristic pieces in Bernstein's usual ebullient manner. E. Power Biggs contributes the "America" variations from a few years earlier. Very good
playing and recording.
6. Symphony 1 / Variations on America / Unanswered Question (Gould) 1965 / 1966. Another premiere, this time the 1st Symphony with the Chicago Symphony under Morton Gould. Very exciting, with a real sense of discovery, but no hint of uncertainty. The Unanswered Question suffers from a gimmicky set-up,
the strings in the centre, slightly to the rear, the flutes in the right channel, and the solo trumpet (Bud Herseth) well over to the left. Rather artificial, though well-played.
7. Music for choir (Gregg Smith Singers) 1965 / 1966. I used to own this Lp, and it's nice to hear these pieces more clearly. The Gregg Smith Singers recorded a lot of new music and they attack these tricky compositions fearlessly.
8. Sonata 1 (Masselos) 1966. Sixteen years after his first run at this piece, Masselos re-recorded it for RCA. Slightly mellower sound, and now in stereo, but a powerful reading.
9. Orchestra Set 2/ Robert Browning Overture / Putnam's Camp (Gould) 1966. The Chicago Symphony and Gould give us another selection, in good sound and very well played.
10. String Quartets 1 and 2 (Juilliard) 1966 / 1967. Two contrasting pieces, beautifully played by the Juilliards, who had already tackled the Schoenberg and Bartok Quartets. Wonderful unanimity, and lovely sound.
11. Symphony 1 / 3 Places in New England / Variations on America (Ormandy) 1964 / 1968. A slightly more mellow approach to the Symphony than that of Gould, with excellent fillers. Sumptuous Philly sound.
12. Holidays Symphony / Gong on the hook and ladder / Circus Band March (Bernstein) 1963 / 1968. Bernstein gives a surprisingly poetic reading of the Holidays Symphony. Interesting fillers. Good, though not exceptional, sound.
13. Concord Sonata (Kirkpatrick) 1968. After more than two decades, Kirkpatrick returns to this epic piece. Rather better sound of course, but no diminution of the work's grandeur.
14. New music by Charles Ives (Gregg Smith Singers) 1965 / 1967. Another selection of challenging choral pieces, wonderfully performed.
15. Calcium White Nights (Schuller) 1969 (plus 2 marches from 1975). A selection of instrumental pieces, showing the breadth of Ives' vision. Atmospheric performances under Schuller's direction.
16. Chamber music 1970. The Piano Trio is the major work, with a hand-picked team of soloists, in excellent sound.
17. Songs (Lear / Stewart) 1969. Two first-rate singers give fully idiomatic renditions of a selection from Ives' extensive collection of songs with piano.
18. Old songs deranged (Sinclair) 1974 / 1975. James Sinclair has worked tirelessly over more than four decades to bring authentic editions of Ives' music to the public's attention. These pieces for theatre orchestra cover a huge range, from popular-style ballads to characteristic chamber pieces. Excellent
recorded sound.
19. Symphony 4 (Serebrier) 1974. Serebrier was one of two assistant conductors on Stoki's 1965 recording of the Symphony No. 4. Nine years on, he leads the LPO in a splendid version on RCA. The recorded sound is even better than the Columbia version under Stokowski.
20. Symphonies 2 & 3 (Ormandy) 1973 / 1968. Ormandy's take offers an alternative to Bernstein's, placing Ives slightly nearer the European modernist tradition. The RCA recordings are very vivid.
21. Holidays Symphony / 3 Places in New England (Ormandy) 1974. As with the previous disc, Ormandy gives weighty, powerful readings of these pieces, assisted by the splendid orchestral sound.
22. Quartet 2 (plus Barber Quartet) Cleveland Qrtet. 1975 / 1976. The Cleveland give very assured performances of these two pieces, although I am not sure how Ives would have reacted to Barber's neo-romantic style !
Remasterings throughout are excellent. This is a superb tribute to Ives on his 150th anniversary.
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