[pdf] Fugue State

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. 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. A bonus on the disc 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.