Top 5 Favorite Ives Works

[Mirror Image]

Choose your five favorite Ives works. There are no stipulations for this thread. Have fun!

My list (in no particular order):

Symphony No. 4
Holidays Symphony
The Pond (Remembrance)
Central Park in the Dark
Orchestral Set No. 1: Three Places in New England

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

Three Places in New England
Symphony No. 2
String Quartet No. 2
Piano Trio
Concord Sonata

[Ken B]

my list:

[Mirror Image]

my list:

If you don't like Ives, Ken, then why post here?

[Karl Henning]

my list:

Don't care even for the Concord Sonata?  Even at a time when I was least taken with / interested in Ives, that was a piece which commanded my musical respect.

[Sergeant Rock]

Symphony No.1 D minor
Symphony No.2
Three Places in New England
String Quartet No.1
Piano Sonata No.2 "Concord"

[Ken B]

Don't care even for the Concord Sonata?  Even at a time when I was least taken with / interested in Ives, that was a piece which commanded my musical respect.

It is possible I have never heard it. I had a short Ives phase, but it burned out quickly. Since then Ives has been a rare visitor to my player.

[Rons_talking]

Piano Sonata 2 (Concord)
Three Places in New England
Central Park After Dark
Holidays Symphony

To be honest, it's been decades since I've bought any Ives other than the "Concord."

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

my list:

I used to think like this. Then I decided to explore Ives in a serious way, and my attitude changed.

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

Symphony No.1 D minor

String Quartet No.1

Two greatly underrated pieces, presumably overlooked because "Ives as American Dvorak" is less interesting to critics than "Ives as eccentric, homespun radical."

[Trout]

Piano Sonata No. 2 "Concord"
String Quartet No. 1 "From the Salvation Army"
String Quartet No. 2
Symphony No. 4
The Unanswered Question

[listener]

Symphony no. 3
Piano Trio
Three Harvest Home Chorales
Three Places in New England

bottom of the list: Robert Browning Overture

[Dax]

Tone Roads no 3
Over the pavements
Central Park in the dark
Holidays symphony
3 Places in New England

[EigenUser]

Not a huge Ives fan, but he interests me nonetheless.

Central Park in the Dark (favorite by far -- I love this piece -- does anyone else hear the slow movement of Bartok's 2nd PC?)
The Unanswered Question
String Quartet #2 (saw it live once, played by Emerson SQ)
Symphony No. 4

Can't think of a fifth.

[TheGSMoeller]

Symphony No. 3
Symphony No. 4
Decoration Day
Unanswered Question
Concord Sonata

[North Star]

Two Contemplations
Symphony no. 4
Holidays Symphony
Three Places in New England
Psalm no. 90

[Mr Bloom]

Where is the love for the second orchestral set? Three Places in New England is great, but I have a special taste for the even more complex and darker second set.

The "usual suspects" list of favorites :
A holidays symphony
Concord sonata
Symphony n°4
Orchestral set n°2
Trio

The "ok, I'm a fan, so what?" list of favorites :
Piano sonata n°1
Set n°1 for chamber orchestra
Robert Browning overture
Piano etudes
Tons of melodies

[Karl Henning]

Symphony No. 3
Symphony No. 4
Decoration Day
Unanswered Question
Concord Sonata

The Unanswered Question has never staled for me, which strikes me as a signal success.

[Karl Henning]

Two Contemplations
Symphony no. 4
Holidays Symphony
Three Places in New England
Psalm no. 90

The Housatonic at Stockbridge, in particular, is exquisite.  But you knew that 

[North Star]

The Housatonic at Stockbridge, in particular, is exquisite.  But you knew that 

Yes, although I must confess that it's a while since I've heard it (or the rest of the work).