Message #29858

[relm1]

I really enjoyed the new Chandos recording.  The key to this is seeing Antheil as a bridge between Ives and Copeland.  His No. 4 reminds me a lot of Ives's Symphony No. 2 with its overt use of American themes or in a polyphonic way such as Ive's Three Places from New England.  Listen to this first:


Then listen to Antheil No. 4.  Yes you'll hear Russian elements but American too.  That is part of his distinctiveness.  I hear Russian and Finnish influences in Malcolm Arnold but he is also very distinctive.  In some places Arnold has a lot of the English tradition but in other places, very Russian but consistently of high quality.  This is how I hear Antheil and I am very glad for this new series from Chandos.  His sound does deserve to be better heard and hopefully this will do it.