Charles Ives: Four Sonatas Hilary Hahn

• Charles Ives (1874 - 1954): Violin Sonata No. 1:
• 1 Ives: Violin Sonata No. 1: I. Andante - Allegro vivace 06:08
• 2 Ives: Violin Sonata No. 1: II. Largo cantabile 05:56
• 3 Ives: Violin Sonata No. 1: III. Allegro 08:06
• Violin Sonata No. 2:
• 4 Ives: Violin Sonata No. 2: I. Autumn. Adagio maestoso - Allegro moderato 05:10
• 5 Ives: Violin Sonata No. 2: II. In the Barn. Presto - Allegro moderato 04:03
• 6 Ives: Violin Sonata No. 2: III. The Revival. Largo - Allegretto 03:18
• Violin Sonata No. 3:
• 7 Ives: Violin Sonata No. 3: I. Adagio (Verse I) - Andante (Verse II) - Allegretto (Verse III) - Adagio (Last Verse) 12:21
• 8 Ives: Violin Sonata No. 3: II. Allegro 03:30
• 9 Ives: Violin Sonata No. 3: III. Adagio (Cantabile) - Andante con spirito 08:02
• Violin Sonata No. 4 "Children's Day at the Camp Meeting":
• 10 Ives: Violin Sonata No. 4 "Children's Day at the Camp Meeting": I. Allegro 02:04
• 11 Ives: Violin Sonata No. 4 "Children's Day at the Camp Meeting"": II. Largo - Allegro (con slugarocko) 04:50
• 12 Ives: Violin Sonata No. 4 "Children's Day at the Camp Meeting": III. Allegro 01:43
• Anna Bartlett Warner (1827 - 1915), William B. Bradbury (1816 - 1868), George Minor (1845 - 1904), George Frederick Root (1820 - 1895), John Wyeth (1770 - 1858), Robert Lowry (1826 - 1899): Borrowed by Ives:
• 13 Warner, Bradbury, Minor, Root, Wyeth, Lowry: Borrowed by Ives: Traditional Melodies 03:26
• Total Runtime 01:08:37

Info for Charles Ives: Four Sonatas

The Sonatas for Violin and Piano by Charles Ives: "...always different and always fascinating".

The enthusiasm of violinist Hilary Hahn and her pianist Valentina Lisitsa for this not everyday oeuvre is reflected in the sentence of the American star violinist: "Valentina and I hope that with this album we can make clear the many good sides of the Ives sonatas and that you will be infected by our enthusiasm for these multi-layered and original pieces for violin and piano while listening to them." This is likely to be the case with this interpretation, about which, for example, the SZ judged: "technically flawless. Hilary Hahn overwhelmed with unyielding clarity, shadowless intonation and compelling rhythm".

Charles Ives may undoubtedly be called the founder of classical music in America, who combined the classical tradition of Brahms and Beethoven with the lively, self-confident spirit of an optimistic, growing and still young nation.

"When a star such as Hilary Hahn takes on the Ives violin-and-piano sonatas it has to be special...she and Lisitsa, accurately balanced, are completely efficient in every way. They understand the Ives idiom saturated with hymn-tunes; they swing with the best of them; and their performances are as convincing as anything on offer." (Gramophone)

"The Third Sonata (1914) is the highlight here...It can have no finer advocate than Hahn, who invests the brief central scherzo with a drive that galvanizes its rhythmic intricacy, while bringing slow-burning intensity to those subtle 'verse and refrain' contrasts of the first movement and eloquence to the 'variations in search of a theme' finale." (International Record Review)

"When violinist Hilary Hahn and pianist Valentina Lisitsa began working together on Charles Ives' violin sonatas, they commenced with the Third Sonata, which they took on tour in 2008. A second tour with the First, Second, and Fourth sonatas followed, and by 2010, the duo was ready to record all four works for Deutsche Grammophon. This cycle, complete on one album, was an unexpected hit with recital audiences, and promises to win over new listeners who may at first be startled by Ives' unorthodox approaches to form and content, yet will come to appreciate the mixture of nostalgic melodies, quirky rhythms, pungent and sweet harmonies, and colliding elements of Americana as surprisingly communicative and moving music. Hahn is quite serious in these performances, and perhaps too tightly focused on getting the details right to really break free, yet she is at her best in conveying wistful and melancholic emotions, so her introspective and careful playing has many fine moments. Lisitsa seems much more comfortable with making a big Ivesian noise, and her playing is as robust as Hahn's is close-to-the-vest. The sound of these studio recordings is well-balanced and clear, though the tone is cool and the ambience is a little dry." (Blair Sanderson, AMG)

Hilary Hahn, violin
Valentina Lisitsa, piano

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Booklet for Charles Ives: Four Sonatas