IVES Piano Sonata No. 1  John Noel Roberts (pn)  ALBANY 1981 (41:06) In the July/Aug 2022 Fanfare (45:6), I interviewed John Noel Roberts, and reviewed his fine Albany Records CD Pas Seul, a survey of solo piano works by American composer Alec Wilder. At the outset of the interview, Roberts recalled his studies at the Eastman and Yale Schools of Music. Roberts noted: “I still can hear David Burge sharing his interpretations of the music of George Crumb at the Eastman School of Music, or John Kirkpatrick sharing his passion for the music of Charles Ives at the Yale School of Music.” In the liner notes for his new Albany recording of the First Piano Sonata of Charles Ives, Roberts, via Kirkpatrick, shares the composer’s programmatic narrative for the work: “the family is together in the 1st and 5th movements; the boy is sowing his oats in the ragtimes – 2nd and 4th movements; and there is parental anxiety in the 3rd movement.” It’s clear both throughout Roberts’s liner notes, and his performance of the Ives Sonata, that the pianist embraces Ives’s program as a foundation for his interpretation. The contrasts between the “family” (1,3,5) and “ragtime” (2,4) movements are sharply delineated. The warmth that Roberts communicates, particularly in the outer movements, serves as a striking foil to the devil-may-care energy in the “ragtimes.” In the central movement, Roberts also effectively communicates the family’s pain. Typical of Ives, the composer incorporates various hymns throughout the work. Roberts voices those hymns with clarity and nobility, giving all their permutations a sense of connection and integrity. All told, this is a moving account that brings the composer’s narrative vision to life. Roberts adopts broad tempos throughout. Compare his total performance time of 41:06 (the CD’s back cover lists it as 40:02) with those of the essential two commercial recordings by William Masselos, who performed the Sonata’s world premiere at New York’s Kauffman Hall on February 17, 1949. The 1953 Columbia Masselos recording totals 32:35, while the 1967 RCA is 31:13. I want to emphasize that I’m not suggesting one approach or the other is preferable. In this Sonata, Ives gives the interpreter considerable artistic leeway. Masselos himself is quoted as saying he heard something different in the Ives First Sonata every time he played it. And Roberts’s choice of tempi complements the warmth, singing tone, and suppleness of phrasing he lavishes upon the music. As in his Alec Wilder disc, Roberts’s affection for the chosen repertoire is evident in his interpretation of the Ives First Sonata. The artist’s excellent liner notes, as well as the fine recorded sound, enhance this worthy project. A moving account of an endlessly fascinating piece. Recommended. Ken Meltzer Four stars: A moving interpretation of the Ives First Piano Sonata