As I write this review, I realize that Naxos has
moved on very quickly and there are now five volumes of Ives’
complete songs available in the shops. Nevertheless the pattern
for these discs seems to have been repeated for the latest ones
so I can throw some light on what they are all about and what
you can expect.
It’s true to say that not all of the performers
are equally up to the tasks which Ives sets his poor singers.
The right singer has not always been chosen for a particular
song. Also some of the songs are rather ‘naff’. I would go so
far as to say that ‘The All-Enduring’, on Volume 1 is almost
the worst piece of music I have ever encountered. It is not
helped by an overly earnest performance. I love Ives but when
he is in this sort of pompous mood I just have to walk away.
Things are not helped in this long song - as sometimes elsewhere
- by not being able to hear the words. So before you start I
strongly advise you to go on the Naxos website and download
them. Incidentally, best of luck with this because from my experience
the procedure is awkward and inconsistent.
Ives published his 114 songs - many very short
indeed - in 1922. There are in fact about sixty others which
form part of this complete collection. We may be coming to terms
with his modernistic and later songs but this complete collection
helps us to get to know the ‘Victoriana’ as well. The chromaticisms
are such as to remind me of César Franck in for instance ‘Far
from my heavenly home’. By 1922 he was approaching the end of
his composing career although he had many years yet to live.
I am a firm believer that the music written from about 1914
onwards is pure nostalgia. These songs - or indeed several of
the orchestral works - often begin with a strange polytonal
chord and then proceed in a similar manner supporting a tonal
melody. One example is ‘August’ where the mood is captured superbly
by David Pittsinger on Naxos. Incidentally, his diction is always
immaculate and I was delighted to discover that it is he who
tackles, excellently, the famous but challenging ‘General William
Booth enters into Heaven’ on Volume 2.
Looking through Ives’ choice of poetry is interesting
as there is such a huge range which must represent his personal
reading and interests. The anonymous ones may, in some cases
be his own poetry although, as can be seen above he did normally
credit himself. Perhaps ‘Far in the Wood’ may be such a poem.
He also set texts in German where Wolf is almost looking over
his shoulder. There are also French settings however the chanson
‘Elegie’ is a long way from Fauré.
Gary Higginson
See also
review by John Sheppard
Tracklisting
IVES, Charles: (1874-1954) Songs, Vol. 1
1, 2, 3 [0.34]
Ives, Charles, lyricist(s)
Carfizzi, Patrick, bass-baritone
Trudel, Eric, piano
Abide with me [3.42]
Lyte, Henry Francis, lyricist(s)
Jakubiak, Sara, soprano
Dickson, Douglas, piano
Aeschylus and Sophocles [4.39]
Landor, Walter Savage, lyricist(s)
Phillips, Mary, mezzo-soprano
Garritson, Laura, piano
Biava Quartet
Afterglow [2.25]
Cooper, James Fenimore, lyricist(s)
Wool, Leah, mezzo-soprano
Penna, J.J., piano
Allegro [2.20]
lyricist(s)
Berman, Lielle, soprano
Trudel, Eric, piano
The All-Enduring [7.12]
Ives, Charles lyricist
Gardner, Robert, baritone
Penna, J.J., piano
Amphion [1.19]
Tennyson, Alfred, lyricist(s)
Jakubiak, Sara, soprano
Dickson, Douglas, piano
Ann Street [0.57]
Morris, Maurice, lyricist(s)
Wool, Leah, mezzo-soprano
Trudel, Eric, piano
At Parting [2.05]
Peterson, Frederick, lyricist(s)
Tarver, Kenneth, tenor
Dickson, Douglas, piano
At Sea [1.25]
Johnson, Robert Underwood, lyricist(s)
Howell, Ian, counter-tenor
Dickson, Douglas, piano
At the River [2.09]
Lowry, Robert, lyricist(s)
Jakubiak, Sara, soprano
Dickson, Douglas, piano
August [3.02]
Rossetti, Dante Gabriel, lyricist(s)
Pittsinger, David, bass
Trudel, Eric, piano
Autumn [2.37]
Twichell Ives, Harmony, lyricist(s)
Cabot, Jennifer Casey, soprano
Dickson, Douglas, piano
Because of You [3.01]
Ives, Charles
Pittsinger, David, bass
Trudel, Eric, piano
Because Thou Art [2.25]
Ives, Charles
Pittsinger, David, bass
Trudel, Eric, piano
Berceuse [1.59]
Ives, Charles, lyricist(s)
Phillips, Mary, mezzo-soprano
Penna, J.J., piano
The Cage [1.04]
Gardner, Robert, baritone
Penna, J.J., piano
The Camp Meeting [4.44]
Ives, Charles / Elliott, Charlotte, lyricist(s)
Pittsinger, David, bass
Trudel, Eric, piano
Canon I [1.03]
Ives, Charles
Tarver, Kenneth, tenor
Dickson, Douglas, piano
Canon II [1.14]
Moore, Thomas, lyricist(s)
Jakubiak, Sara, soprano
Dickson, Douglas, piano
Chanson de Florian [2.00]
Florian, Jean Pierre Claris de, lyricist(s)
Phillips, Mary, mezzo-soprano
Penna, J.J., piano
Charlie Rutlage [2.41]
O'Malley, Dominick John Kid, lyricist(s)
Carfizzi, Patrick, bass-baritone
Dickson, Douglas, piano
The Children's Hour [2.28]
Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth, lyricist(s)
Wool, Leah, mezzo-soprano
Trudel, Eric, piano
Edith Osborne Ives - Christmas Carol [3.46]
Plenk, Matthew, tenor
Trudel, Eric, piano
A Christmas Carol [2.44]
Ives, Charles, lyricist(s)
Howell, Ian, counter-tenor
Dickson, Douglas, piano
The Circus Band [2.11]
Ives, Charles, lyricist(s)
Gardner, Robert, baritone
Trudel, Eric, piano
The Collection [3.00]
Ives, Charles
Berman, Lielle, soprano
Jakubiak, Sara, soprano
Mumford, Tamara, mezzo-soprano
Plenk, Matthew, tenor
Cavalieri, Michael, baritone
Teardo, Frederick, organ
Country Celestial[3.44]
Neale, John Mason, lyricist(s)
Wool, Leah, mezzo-soprano
Penna, J.J., piano
Cradle Song [2.23]
Ives, Augusta L., lyricist(s)
Phillips, Mary, mezzo-soprano
Penna, J.J., piano
Recorded May-June 2005 in Sprague Hall, Yale University, New Haven
, USA
Naxos 8.559269 [74.52]
IVES, Charles: (1874-1954) Songs, Vol. 2
December [1.10]
Rossetti, Dante Gabriel, lyricist(s)
Baty, Janna, soprano
Penna, J.J., piano
Disclosure [1.14]
Ives, Charles, lyricist(s)
Plenk, Matthew, tenor
Trudel, Eric, piano
Down East [3.12]
Gardner, Robert, baritone
Garritson, Laura, piano
Dreams [4.01]
Strelezki, Anton, lyricist(s)
Tarver, Kenneth, tenor
Dickson, Douglas, piano
Du alte Mutter [2.27]
Linje, Aasmund Olavsson, lyricist(s)
Ives, Charles
Cavalieri, Michael, baritone
Dickson, Douglas, piano
Du bist wie eine Blume [1.50]
Heine, Heinrich, lyricist(s)
Mumford, Tamara, mezzo-soprano
Dickson, Douglas, piano
Elegie [4.56]
Gallet, Louis, lyricist(s)
Wool, Leah, mezzo-soprano
Penna, J.J., piano
The Ending Year [3.02]
Ives, Charles
Jakubiak, Sara, soprano
Dickson, Douglas, piano
Evening [2.05]
Milton, John, lyricist(s)
Phillips, Mary, mezzo-soprano
Penna, J.J., piano
Evidence [1.44]
Ives, Charles, lyricist(s)
Plenk, Matthew, tenor
Trudel, Eric, piano
Eyes so dark (Weil' auf mir) [2.09]
Lenau, Nikolaus, lyricist(s)
Plenk, Matthew, tenor
Trudel, Eric, piano
Far from my heav'nly home [4.28]
Lyte, Henry Francis, lyricist(s)
Mumford, Tamara, mezzo-soprano
Teardo, Frederick, organ
Far in the wood [1.46]
Ives, Charles
Berman, Lielle, soprano
Trudel, Eric, piano
A Farewell to Land [1.53]
Byron, Lord (George Gordon Byron), lyricist(s)
Wool, Leah, mezzo-soprano
Trudel, Eric, piano
La Fede [0.54]
Ariosto, Ludovico, lyricist(s)
Wool, Leah, mezzo-soprano
Penna, J.J., piano
Feldeinsamkeit [2.56]
Allmers, Hermann, lyricist(s)
Cavalieri, Michael, baritone
Dickson, Douglas, piano
Flag Song [2.23]
Durand, Henry S., lyricist(s)
Pittsinger, David, bass
Trudel, Eric, piano
Forward into Light [4.00]
Alford, Henry, lyricist(s)
Cabot, Jennifer Casey, soprano
Trudel, Eric, piano
Friendship [3.23]
Ives, Charles
Plenk, Matthew, tenor
Trudel, Eric, piano
Fruhlingslied [2.06]
Heine, Heinrich, lyricist(s)
Buck, Heather, soprano
Trudel, Eric, piano
General William Booth Enters into Heaven [5.37]
Lindsay, Vachel, lyricist(s)
Pittsinger, David, bass
Dickson, Douglas, piano
God Bless and Keep Thee [2:30]
Mumford, Tamara, mezzo-soprano
Dickson, Douglas, piano
Grace [1:39]
Ives, Charles
Grantchester [3.12]
Brooke, Rupert, lyricist(s)
Cavalieri, Michael, baritone
Dickson, Douglas, piano
The Greatest Man [1.25]
Collins, Anne, lyricist(s)
Cavaliere, Michael, baritone
Dickson, Douglas, piano
Gruss [1.35]
Heine, Heinrich, lyricist(s)
Kittelberger, Sumi, soprano
Trudel, Eric
Recorded May-June 2005 in Sprague Hall, Yale University, New Haven,
USA
Naxos 8.559270 [67.37]
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