Charles Ives Symphony No. 1

[sdtom]

Received a new recording of Charles Ives on Chandos of his first two symphonies with Andrew Davis and the Melbourne. The thought occurred to me that perhaps his first symphony would qualify for unsung status. The symphony does but is Ives too popular?
Tom

[Alan Howe]

It's certainly unsung. Fire away!
(The new Chandos CD is a slow burner - a deliberately more understated, weighty appioach from Andrew Davis. In my view - excellent.)

[jerfilm]

i'm surprised that Charlie even deserves to be discussed here......hmmmmmmm.....new surprises all the time.

Jerry

[sdtom]

i'm surprised that Charlie even deserves to be discussed here......hmmmmmmm.....new surprises all the time.

Jerry

If we're talking Ives I think you're spot on but this very early work is truly written as if it were in the romantic era. From what I've read this had to do with his teacher.
Tom

[jerfilm]

i'll have to give it a listen.  Thanks.

jerry

[eschiss1]

Ives first? I guess I didn't think it was that "unsung" anymore myself what with the relative profusion of recordings (some by itself, some as parts of larger groupings) by Gould, Ormandy (1960s, reissued on Sony), Tilson Thomas (1991), Bernstein (released on CD in 2010), Sinclair (Naxos, 2003), Litton (Hyperion, 2006), Järvi (Chandos, 2002), etc. But- definitely influenced by Dvorak, maybe Tchaikovsky (he may have had an early chance to hear the latter's 6th symphony performed in the US, noted James North in a Ives 1 recording review, but it's hard to be sure from available information about performance dates of the former work, Ives' travels and diaries, &c &c), that general orbit, yes.

[Alan Howe]

Ives 1 is a concert-hall rarity over here and is quite definitely late-romantic in idiom - and the new Davis recording is well worth hearing and discussing.

[sdtom]

i'll have to give it a listen.  Thanks.

jerry

I encourage you to have a listen Jerry. This Chandos recording is quite good with Sir Andrew Davis leading a more than competent orchestra although not nearly as well known as others. In the liner notes his teacher was described as a bully and I'm glad that he did in the case of this symphony. If you PM or email me I have a new Carl Davis and William Perry both music for silent films.
Tom

[eschiss1]

I thought Järvi conducted the Chandos recording.  Also, the bully(?) in question (and you may well be right about the effectiveness of his methods whatever they were...) was a composer I think some of us have praised (in that capacity) in this forum, I think (Horatio Parker), memory serves.

[Alan Howe]

Järvi did conduct a recording for Chandos. Davis' is a recent release on the same label.

[eschiss1]

Ah! Sorry, my mistake.

[sdtom]

Alan could you compare the Jarvi with the Davis?
Tom

[Alan Howe]

Järvi, as is his wont, is quicker than Davis. But Järvi's first movement is longer than Davis', which suggests that he must have included a repeat...

[kuula]

Brits should really stay away from Ives.     Sounds weak and un-inspired.  He doesn't translate to "furriners".

[semloh]

I find all the Ives symphonies most appealing, and have advocated for the 4th on UC in the distant past. The 1st is an amazing first symphony but, of course, it's really just a demonstration piece written to satisfy Horatio Parker and illustrate Ives' talent. I can't think that it bears much relation to his subsequent development, except perhaps his delight in playing fast and loose with keys! I first listened to it many decades ago on the LPs by Ormandy and Bernstein, and I am sure it popped up from time to time in the UK on BBC Radio 3.

Alan - I see you like the weightier tempo of Davis. How long does he take for the first movement? I see that Sinclair on Naxos, and Jarvi on Chandos, include a repeat in the first movement that is omitted by Litton on Hyperion, resulting in the latter being 7 minutes shorter than Sinclair. Does Davis include the repeat? My brain is unable to work out what the implications of all this are for the tempi in each case.