Chamber Society Revels in Ives’ Iconoclasm

The Los Angeles Philharmonic Chamber Music Society turned to Americana on Monday night at the Skirball Center’s Ahmanson Hall--and in doing so, took a nicely creative risk with that patron saint of iconoclasm, Charles Ives.

Written when he was only 21, the String Quartet No. 1 explodes the image of Ives as an inspired crank, for it displays a real mastery of traditional forms as well as a desire to go outside the box.

Later, he lifted the first-movement Fugue out of the four-movement quartet and placed it in slightly expanded form into his Symphony No. 4.

For this unique performance, violinists Barry Socher and Ingrid Chun, violist Dale Hikawa and cellist David Garrett played the three-movement edition of the quartet as per Ives’ last wishes, added a brief, jokey Ives Scherzo as a buffer, and closed with Socher’s own string-quartet transcription of the symphony’s version of the Fugue.

Although the Fugue might have fit better in its original spot at the beginning of the quartet, this sequence was more in tune with Ives’ quirky nature, and this foursome poured a sense of lift and intense feeling into the performance.

Augusta Read Thomas’ revised Piano Trio now bears the title “Angel Chant,” although judging from this mostly morose, occasionally lyrical score, these particular angels seemed to have been in a mournfully downcast mood.

Violinist Mark Baranov, cellist Barry Gold and pianist Lina Targonsky did the honors.

Samuel Barber’s works occupied the leadoff spot in both halves. First there was a brisk performance of his agreeable, slightly melancholic “Summer Music” for wind quintet, and later, a warm, relaxed, engagingly natural interpretation of “Dover Beach” by baritone Nathan Gunn with string quartet.