Ives: Symphony No. 2; Robert Browning Overture
Don't let the budget label, little-known conductor, and regional orchestra fool you--here's an outstanding disc of important music, brilliantly interpreted and played. Even if you have thegrand, but cut, old Leonard Bernstein performanceof the symphony on Sony, this one's different.  Naxos uses a new critical edition replete with changes in tempo, dynamics, and orchestration. The symphony may be the funniest in the repertory, flinging wildly disparate folk and pop tunes together in imaginative ways that defy rhyme or reason, yet make perfect sense in the context of Ives's innovative soundworld. TheRobert Browning Overtureis no mere curtain-raiser, but one of Ives's toughest works, moving from a mysterious opening in the strings to braying brass and pounding drums. This is one of the best releases in Naxos's outstanding American Classics series. Don't miss it.--Dan Davis