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Symphonies Nos 1 & 4 Central Park in the Dark
Charles Ives, Andrew Litton, Dallas Symphony Orchestra
Symphonies Nos 1 & 4 Central Park in the Dark
Genre: Classical
 
  •  Track Listings (9) - Disc #1

There are probably no more drastic examples of stylistic differences within one composer's symphonic output than those inherent in Charles Ives's 1st and 4th. The 1st is a piece of pure late Romanticism; it reminds the lis...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Charles Ives, Andrew Litton, Dallas Symphony Orchestra
Title: Symphonies Nos 1 & 4 Central Park in the Dark
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: Hyperion UK
Original Release Date: 1/1/2006
Re-Release Date: 10/10/2006
Album Type: Import
Genre: Classical
Styles: Historical Periods, Modern, 20th, & 21st Century, Symphonies
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 034571175409

Synopsis

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There are probably no more drastic examples of stylistic differences within one composer's symphonic output than those inherent in Charles Ives's 1st and 4th. The 1st is a piece of pure late Romanticism; it reminds the listener of both Dvorak and Tchaikovsky, but with some odd harmonic surprises. It has fine tunes and witty turns of orchestration; the second movement features a cor anglais and the scherzo is a quick, graceful canon; the finale is great energetic fun. The 4th Symphony is very difficult (it symbolizes the Pilgrim's quest for the spirit). It requires a second conductor to lead a bevy of strings and harp, presumably placed offstage or in a balcony. The magical opening prelude introduces a choir singing a hymn; the second movement, marked "Comedy," is a tangle of dissonances and musical ideas in which march music, the sound of trains and hymns overlap; the third movement, a lovely fugue, is a respite from the craziness of the 3rd; and the finale mixes sounds that seem distant and very near, with a chorus wordlessly singing "Nearer my God to Thee." It is a grand, spiritual sound. A bonus on the CD is the composer's "Central Park in the Dark," which is evocative of the strange whooshing of trees and the eeriness of a vast piece of nature in the midst of a metropolis. Ives is for the curious, and these great performances convince and fascinate. --Robert Levine

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