John Parker ([log in to unmask]) wrote:

>Bernard Chasan and Deryk Barker both note that Ive's Universe Symphony,
>which I introduced to this thread, does not sound much like Ives.  I
>didn't go into that aspect in my note, but the un-Ivesness of the piece
>is striking.  Deryk cites a source who claims that Larry Austin, the
>'realizer' of the symphony, did not understand the sketches of the work
>that Ives left behind.

Well, to be fair to him, not just "a" source.  David G.  Porter is one of
the world's leading authorities on Ives.

>I know nothing of Austin and it very well may be that he did less than an
>ideal job of completing Ives' symphony.  However, according to Austin's
>comments in the liner notes, Ives left memos inviting other composers to
>expand on the ideas presented in the sketches he left behind.

I recall reading this years ago, also.

>So, maybe much of this piece is Austin, but maybe also, that would have
>been fine with Ives.

Quite possibly, but I'm not sure the recording makes this clear enough.

>Whatever the case, I can think of no other composer more likely to have
>written a piece that did not sound as if he had written it than Ives.

Weeeeeeeelll, I understand "where you're coming from" but most Ives sounds
like Ives to me.  Even the Robert Browning Overture, with its complete lack
of quotations, still sounds like Chas.

Deryk Barker
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