I'm very keen on Ivanovs and last year, when I listened to ll the symphonies one after the other I wrote down some notes. If there are any mistakes here, please let me know. You'll see I like different symphonies to other contributors here.
1 One longish movement, quite lush and lyrical but with backbone, beginning with lyrical passages and ending in dance measures.
2 Three slow movements, beautiful, but not much go.
3 Moving away from earlier style to middle style, more forceful, four-movement (with scherzo 3rd), remarkably limpid slow movement.
4 His longest symphony, the Atlantis Symphony. First movement (‘Wrath of the God – Legend’), begins angrily and then carries on with a portrait of Atlantis at the height of its arrogance and power; long slow movement with women’s voices (Nereids) shows Poseidon’s underwater realm; scherzo (‘Sacred Temple’) is a depiction of a gathering storm on a mountain, with a quiet interlude; Finale continues with this stormy music to the catastrophe that overwhelms Atlantis, ending with a return to Poseidon’s underwater music (minus the voices).
5 Longish, end of war, stressful type symphony with mixed moods of fear and triumph.
6 ‘Latgale Symphony’, folkloric, relaxed, longish.
7 Longish, brilliant, declamatory, Nielsen-like delicacy in trio of scherzo, Bruckernian slow movement with faster stretches; brilliant, short and vigorous finale
8 Brilliant, fast, dramatic, use of harp as flowing and twirling instrument; limpid, flowing slow movement with faster passages, finale with brass chorale.
9 Harsher in mood (like 5), dramatic; plangent slow movement with slow lyric coda; exciting finale also with slow coda.
10 Brusque and forceful throughout.
11 Even more savage than 10; slow movement second, funereal but with instrumental solos; violent scherzo; finale slower and more consolatory with slower and quieter coda.
12 A symphonia brevis, two outer movements vigorous and short, short intense slow movement second, intermezzo style third movement (longest in work) with muted close.
13 A three movement symphony with prologue, epilogue and interludes of spoken commentary (Paean to Lenin). Music intense with three medium fastish movements.
14 Symphony for strings, three movements slow-fast-slow, intense.
15 Back to a long vigorous first movement and savage scherzo second pattern. However style less declamatory, more motivic, more reflective passages. Slow movement odd, grotesque fragments and figurations build to a genuinely impressive climax. Finale not too long, vigorous, but with reflective passages, ends quietly.
16 Slow introduction to first movement, first movement faster section as in previous symphonies but more relaxed with lyrical and reflective episodes; short vigorous scherzo; serious slow movement; noble finale.
17 As 16 but first movement has more slower and reflective passages as does the scherzo; the slow movement is warm and sensitive, the finale is tumultuous and magnificent, ending quietly.
18 Much as 17; first movement ends quietly after moment of triumph. Wonderful long Brucknerian slow movement. Finale takes up hopeful mood of climax of first movement
19 As 17 and 18 but even broader, magnificent long slow movement, finale attains Brucknerian breadth but ends quietly.
20 First movement as 17-19, ending quietly with soft bells. Shorter slow movement second, but still very solemn. Retrospective minuet third (sounding like Respighi). Fourth movement with an air of retrospective on early symphonies, but modulates towards the style of the end of the first movement (bells reappear).
21 Three movement work completed by Karlsons. First movement vigorous and clear, second a grave slow movement with alternating slower/faster sections, final a set of variations? Including a waltz! Ends defiantly. [Revised version of completion differs in finale, ending quietly].
