IVES: Second Pianoforte Sonata "Concord, Mass.,"1840-1860. Three-Page Sonata. Some South-Paw Pitching (Study No. 21). The Anti-Abolitionist Riots in the 1830's and 1840's (Study No. 9). Varied Air and Variations (Study No. 2 for Ears or Aural and Mental Exercise!!). Richard Trythall, piano. CENTAUR CRC 2285 [DDD]; 73:49. Produced by Victor E. Sachse. (Distributed by Qualiton.)
 

       Just reading the titles of the pieces on this recital reveals so much about the passions and contradictions of Charles Ives. There is, of course, the Americana, including an ode to the great national pastime, and also a reflection on the pivotal struggle of the American experience, the Civil War. There are, as well, the heavy nod to European culture, with such classical forms as air and variation, and the sonata (the pretentious use of the term "pianoforte" may not have been the composer's choice, but that of his editor). The absurdist parenthetical subtitle for the variations underlies the uneasy and intensely dynamic blend of the vernacular and the learned that characterizes most of the output of this grandly expressive artist.

     All of this sprawling energy is, of course, displayed in the music, achieving an apotheosis in the Concord Sonata, a work that overflows with ingenuity and profound eloquence. The work calls for something of a musical magician to draw all of its elements together into a cohesive structure, and Trythall offers a stunning rendition, with special command of its daunting rhythmic complexities, and especially, the frequent flashes of brilliant humor.

   Trythall, who is a fascinating composer in his own right, is no less successful in the shorter pieces. The "Three Page Sonata" from 1905 is an especially remarkable work, featuring a slow central section of Webern-like minimalism, and concluding with a bizarre, hallucinatory march-time finale that would sound no less startling if it were written today.

     In his excellent, insightful notes, Trythall observes that "the romantics objected to Ives' avant-garde technical innovations as being far too dissonant and complex. The modernists, on the other hand, objected to Ives' impassioned subjectivity..." Fortunately, we do not need to resort to doctrinaire considerations in judging this music today. This superb new production allows us to judge the great American original on his own terms.

                           Peter Burwasser