Search - George Antheil, Theodore Kuchar, National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine :: ANTHEIL: Symphonies Nos. 4 and 6 / McKonkey's Ferry

Beat drums, beat! Blow, trumpets, blow!

Thomas F. Bertonneau | Oswego, NY United States | 10/04/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Naxos' "American Classics" series has been uneven, not in the quality of the performances or in the engineering, but in the choice of repertoire. The symphonies by George Templeton Strong and Meredith Wilson vanish quickly from memory; Piston's violin concerti and Lees' Fourth Symphony, on the other hand, stand out as remarkable works and as valuable additions to the recorded catalogue. Despite some reservations, the disc of symphonic music (two symphonies and an overture) by George Antheil (1900-1959) belongs to the second category. Since everyone tells the story of Antheil's transformation from the "bad-boy" composer of the 1925 "Ballet Méchanique" to the relatively conservative symphonist of the 1940s and 50s, I'll skip it. Suffice it that Antheil recognized that he needed to connect with audience, that the symphony was the public concert-utterance par excellence, and that he could write them fluently. Symphony No. 4 dates from 1942 and is a "war symphony." Maybe more accurately it is a kind of symphonic pep-rally to stoke the morale of American audiences. Mind you, I find nothing wrong with that. (What else was Copland's "Lincoln Portrait" or Harris's Fifth Symphony?) While obviously echoing the musical vocabularies of the Soviet school (Shostakovich and Prokofiev), Antheil's Fourth manages to be a rollicking good, thoroughly march-oriented, blazingly brassy, echt American exercise in cinematographic triumphalism. It sounds for all the world like the classy soundtrack for a vintage Department of Defense film about "Our Boys in North Africa" or "The Allied Landing in Sicily." You can imagine, in your mind's ear, one of those 1940s newsreel voices narrating the action. The Sixth Symphony dates from 1948, and reflects an appreciation of Charles Ives, then being rediscovered by a hitherto coy musical establishment. Familar American tunes play hide and seek among the unfolding textures. Antheil fragments them and weaves polyphonic tapestries. The overture, "McKonkey's Ferry," is woven from the same cloth. Thoroughly enoyable. Antheil was left-wing in his sympathies. Jack up the volume, anyway, and enjoy the thumping political incorrectness of it."

Tragic American Music

Brett A. Kniess | Madison, WI | 01/04/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The American infant terrible, George Antheil, is most famous for his outlandish mechanically-driven composition Ballet Mecanique. His serious concert music have not received much acclaim in the past, but now with Naxos' American Classics series, they may come into their own. Featured on the disk are his 4th and 6th Symphonies and his concert overture, McKonkey's Ferry.



Depicting George Washington's famous image as he crosses the Delaware River on Christmas night, 1776, Antheil composed the frigid McKonkey's Ferry, an American-based concert overture. The work is an aggressive, if not a bit rough-edged piece, that relies on a regularly falling melody and perpetual motion. In a minor mode throughout, Antheil shows the struggle of Washington's crossing with great imagination and musical imagery. A classic of Antheil's repertory.



His Symphony No. 4, subtitled 1942, is also a somewhat gloomy work, based around the inevitable outbreak of World War II. A brusque statement by unison brass and eventually piano, open the first movement; eventually the opening gives way to an expansive march, relying on bassoons, piccolos, and fanfares. Antheil combines the two ideas into a sort of mocking march to build to a dissonant climax; all dissolves into a quiet unrest. The second movement begins with a familiar sounding melody, almost Russian in nature, but one which is definitely tragic, almost march-like as well. A romantic interlude dispels the minor march for a while, with great leaps of yearning melodies, before the disquiet of the opening melody from the first movement returns. A dissonant and angry scherzo takes up the third movement. After a section of music put into fugue, a grotesque, dance-like feel evolves into an odd-fitting slow march to end the movement. Great tempo and mood changes make the final movement a breathtaking, nearly schizophrenic, mixture of ideas. The symphony concludes triumphantly. Traditionally orchestrated, the addition of passages for piano, xylophone, and woodblock, make this a unique look at war-time music. A creative composition and a personal viewpoint of a passionately American composer.



The Sixth Symphony begins in a menacing manner, with a short motive that becomes more rhythmical, and haunts the entire first movement. Antheil includes more marches, including a final grand march, again, almost Russian sounding. Quotations of The Battle Cry of Freedom are treated in an almost Ivesian fashion. The gritty march ends with emphatic timpani marking time. A melancholy, almost cinematic, waltz makes up the second movement. Of particular note, is a chilling solo piano and glockenspiel duet that is extremely creepy. The final movement is a rugged, forthright, nearly humorous display of optimism.



Antheil's music is often dissonant, but based in a tonal world; but especially, he is a master of writing melodies. Never in his music is there a lack of melodic material, and his settings of melodies are always inventive. The representative works on this disk are a little tragic, but certainly invigorating American music. This is the first I have heard the National Symphony of Ukraine play, and they are indeed splendid on this all-American disk. They play aggressively and with great sense of ensemble. Theodore Kuchar is true to the score and brings out all the important elements for a truly dramatic reading. If you are wanting to experience some different, and in some cases, important American music, this recording is recommended."