Charles Ives - Symphonies Nos. 2 & 3; General Booth enters into Heaven (Andrew Litton)

Information

Composer:  Charles Ives

1. Symphony No. 2: 1. Andante moderato
2. Symphony No. 2: 2. Allegro molto, con spirito
3. Symphony No. 2: 3. Adagio cantabile
4. Symphony No. 2: 4. Lento maestoso
5. Symphony No. 2: 5. Allegro molto vivace
6. Symphony No. 3 "The Camp Meeting": 1. Old Folks Gatherin'. Andante maestoso
7. Symphony No. 3 "The Camp Meeting": 2. Children's Day. Allegro
8. Symphony No. 3 "The Camp Meeting": 3. Communion. Largo
9. General Booth enters into Heaven (arr. John J. Becker)

Donnie Ray Albert, baritone (9)
Dallas Symphony Chorus (9) & Orchestra
Andrew Litton, conductor

Date: 2006
Label: Hyperion
http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDA67525

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Review

ARTISTIC QUALITY: 10 / SOUND QUALITY: 10

What a wonderful surprise it has been, seeing this release of the complete Ives symphonies on Hyperion. I have no doubt that Andrew Litton's cycle will serve as the reference for many years to come. The principal competition comes from Michael Tilson Thomas on Sony, featuring the Chicago Symphony and Amsterdam Concertgebouw orchestras. While good, and in spots excellent, MTT's heart really wasn't in the First Symphony, and the Concertgebouw, for all the beauty of its playing, lacks the rude heft to make something memorable out of the final appearance of Columbia the Gem of the Ocean at the end of the Second Symphony. That's certainly not the case here: the Dallas trombone section has a whale of a time, and Litton gives that shockingly dissonant raspberry an extra moment to make its point, just as Bernstein did. Purists may carp, save for the fact that doing it this way is very much in keeping with Ives' aesthetic--more to the point, it sounds right.

In any case, well before the finale's coda, Litton has made this recording of the Second Symphony the new standard by which others should be judged, and that includes Bernstein (both times). He milks the music's romantic side--the first and third movements--with unashamed emotionalism, and this makes the humor of the quick bits all the more telling. You won't hear a more insouciant account of the finale anywhere, while the second movement has a real spring to its step--its final bars are simply hilarious, less outrageous than the symphony's ending, but no less surprising in their own way. Litton's sweetly sentimental take on the lyrical second subject (based on the tune "Where Oh Where Are the Pea-Green Freshmen?") also bucks current orthodoxy, which has the melody played in tempo (Nashville on Naxos)--but once again it makes good musical sense.

The Third Symphony isn't as easy to play as it sounds, and Litton not only captures the music's flow to perfection, he gives the small wind and brass complement plenty of opportunity to shine, albeit sensitively. The march rhythms in the second movement skip along winningly (these are marching children, remember), and the slow finale's last bars feature beautifully judged bell sounds over their final, fading chords. As with the disc containing the First and Fourth Symphonies, the encore is unusual and very welcome. General William Booth Enters Into Heaven is one of Ives' very greatest songs, and it receives a rousing performance by Donnie Ray Albert and the Dallas Symphony Chorus. Finally, the engineering is rich, clear, and vibrant. A major achievement, no doubt about it. [10/25/2006]

-- David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday

More reviews:

http://www.gramophone.co.uk/review/ives-symphonies-nos-1-4
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2006/Oct06/Ives_CDA67540_67525.htm
http://www.classical.net/music/recs/reviews/h/hyp67540a.php

http://www.allmusic.com/album/ives-symphonies-nos-2-3-mw0001562856

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ives-Symphonies-Nos-2-3/dp/B000ICLU04
https://www.amazon.com/Ives-Symphonies-General-William-enters/dp/B000ICLU04

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Charles Ives (October 20, 1874 – May 19, 1954) was an American composer. He is one of the first American composers of international renown.and regarded as an "American original", though his music was largely ignored during his life. He combined the American popular and church-music traditions of his youth with European art music, and was among the first composers to engage in a systematic program of experimental music, with musical techniques including polytonality, polyrhythm, tone clusters, aleatoric elements, and quarter tones, foreshadowing many musical innovations of the 20th century.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Ives

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Andrew Litton (born May 16, 1959, New York City) is an American conductor. Litton is a graduate of The Fieldston School, and holds both undergraduate and Masters degrees in music from Juilliard. He served as music director and principal conductor of Bournemouth Symphony (1988-1994), Dallas Symphony (1994-2006), Bergen Philharmonic (2003-2015), Colorado Symphony (2013-2016) and New York City Ballet (2015-2016). Litton's recordings include a Grammy-winning Walton's Belshazzar's Feast. Under Litton, the Dallas Symphony became the first major orchestra to broadcast a live concert via the Internet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Litton

http://www.andrewlitton.com/bio/index.html

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