Charles Ives - The Unanswered Question, Holidays, Central Park In The Dark

(I wasn't too sure how to do this review, so I sort of am doing it based on the recording from this Bernstein album, rather than taking each piece on its own. Also this stuff in parentheses doesn't count as sentences). I have never really given Charles Ives a thought. I heard a violin piece he wrote and found it unbearable. But these orchestral works conducted by Bernstein are pretty terrific. They're sort of ambient, kind of like Hindemith or something, but there are a lot of moments of excitement, and the balance between ambiance and pressure creates some excellent emotional crescendos. Definitely check out this dude, particularly the Holidays Symphony.

RATING: 76%