Search - Charles Ives, Thomas Wise :: Charles Ives: Complete Works for Violin and Piano

Charles Ives, Thomas Wise
Charles Ives: Complete Works for Violin and Piano
Genre: Classical

Track Listings (8) - Disc #1
1. Pre-First Sonata, for violin & piano, S. 59 (K. 2C2) (incomplete in 5 movements, 2 rejected): 1. Allegro moderato
2. Pre-First Sonata, for violin & piano, S. 59 (K. 2C2) (incomplete in 5 movements, 2 rejected): 2. Largo
3. Sonata, for violin & piano No. 1, S. 60 (K. 2C4): 1. Andante
4. Sonata, for violin & piano No. 1, S. 60 (K. 2C4): 2. Largo cantabile
5. Sonata, for violin & piano No. 1, S. 60 (K. 2C4): 3. Allegro
6. Sonata, for violin & piano No. 2, S. 61 (K. 2C5): 1. Autumn
7. Sonata, for violin & piano No. 2, S. 61 (K. 2C5): 2. In the Barn
8. Sonata, for violin & piano No. 2, S. 61 (K. 2C5): 3. The Revival
Track Listings (6) - Disc #2
1. Sonata, for violin & piano No. 3, S. 62 (K. 2C6): 1. Adagio
2. Sonata, for violin & piano No. 3, S. 62 (K. 2C6): 2. Allegro
3. Sonata, for violin & piano No. 3, S. 62 (K. 2C6): 3. Adagio
4. Sonata, for violin & piano No. 4, 'Children's Day At the Camp Meeting', S. 63 (K. 2C3): 1. Allegro
5. Sonata, for violin & piano No. 4, 'Children's Day At the Camp Meeting', S. 63 (K. 2C3): 2. Largo
6. Sonata, for violin & piano No. 4, 'Children's Day At the Camp Meeting', S. 63 (K. 2C3): 3. Allegro

CD Details

All Artists: Charles Ives, Thomas Wise
Title: Charles Ives: Complete Works for Violin and Piano
Members Wishing: 1
Total Copies: 0
Label: Arte Nova Classics
Original Release Date: 1/1/2007
Re-Release Date: 4/10/2007
Genre: Classical
Styles: Chamber Music, Historical Periods, Classical (c.1770-1830), Modern, 20th, & 21st Century, Instruments, Strings
Number of Discs: 2
SwapaCD Credits: 2
UPC: 723721278854

Synopsis

Album Description

"There are moments of quiet epiphany which [Wakabayashi] and Wise bring off with breathtaking intensity and beauty of sound. And, make no mistake, this is real music, not paper experimentation: inventive, communicative, life-enhancing. If you have yet to discover Ives, take advantage of Arte Nova's bargain price, and start here." -- BBC MusicThe two movements of the "Pre-First Sonata" appear on this recording for the first time together in their original form. Nobu Wakabayashi, a native of Japan, is celebrated on three continents as concerto soloist, recitalist, and chamber music artist. American pianist Thomas Wise plays repertoire from the Baroque to the present day and he has made the premiere (or first recording) of works by composers such as Dmitri Terzakis, Kurt Weill, and Charles Ives.

CD Reviews

Lovely, but not idiomatic

DJ Rix | NJ USA | 11/12/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"These are lovely versions of the Ives Violin & Piano Sonatas, performed with poise & polish. I'd consider them "internationalist" performances. Wakabayashi is from Japan via Julliard. Wise studied with Aloys Kontarsky, who recorded Ives' 2nd Piano Sonata over 45 years ago. The problem is that these are not particularly idiomatic performances. Ives put a barn dance fiddler & a saloon pianist into these works, along with some raucous camp meeting singers, & performers need to find, understand, & bring those personalities out. So as this duo masters the purely technical demands of the pieces, clearly enjoying the challenges, something's missing. They're too polite. The two "conservative" Brahmsian Adagios of Sonata No. 3 come across beautifully. All four sonatas are great enough to support these smooth interpretations. There's also the bonuses of the Pre-First Violin Sonata & the reasonable price. But the top recommendation for performance plus price has to go to the Thompson / Waters recording for Naxos (that page on Amazon also has several comprehensive reviews). The over-priced Fulkerson / Shannon on Bridge has a fine reputation. Let's hope that Nonesuch reissues the venerable Zukofsky / Kalish versions, & that someone, someday, sees fit to locate & restore a classic Rafael Druian / John Simms recording on Mercury (which I'm lucky enough to have on vinyl in "reprocessed stereo"), in excellent 1950's mono & including Lou Harrison's outstanding liner notes. The more the merrier for these Charles Ives masterpieces."