Billy The Kid

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Although it has come to be much better known in Copland's arrangement for full orchestra, Appalachian Spring was originally composed for a chamber-sized complement of 13 instruments, the maximum that would fit in front of the stage at the Coolidge Auditorium in the Library of Congress, where Martha Graham's company gave the premiere of the ballet in 1944. Many listeners prefer the more vibrant and homespun sound of this original version, with its intimate expressiveness, to the splashiness and color of Copland's rescoring, brilliant as it is. Here, Copland conducts a hand-picked group of New York freelancers in what must be counted a definitive performance. The playing is energetic and expressive, the sentiment deep but not too sweet. Copland's 1968 account of his Lincoln Portrait, with Henry Fonda as narrator, and 1969 reading of the suite from Billy the Kid round out the disc most satisfactorily. All three recordings are remarkably vivid. --Ted Libbey

Tracks:

El Salon Mexico
An Outdoor Overture
Billy The Kid: Introduction: The Open Prairie
Billy The Kid: Street In A Frontier Town
Billy The Kid: Prairie Night (Card Game At Night)
Billy The Kid: Gun Battle
Billy The Kid: Celebration (After Billy's Capture)
Billy The Kid: Billy's Death
Billy The Kid: The Open Prairie Again
Quiet City
John Henry
Our Town
Las Agachadas
Fanfare For The Common Man

Tracks:

Rodeo (Four Dance Episodes): I. Buckaroo Holiday
Rodeo (Four Dance Episodes): II. Corral Nocturne
Rodeo (Four Dance Episodes): III. Saturday Night Waltz
Rodeo (Four Dance Episodes): IV. Hoedown
The City: New England Countryside
Of Mice And Men: Barley Wagons
The City: Sunday Traffic
Our Town: Grovers Corners
Of Mice And Men: Threshing Machines
Appalachian Spring (Suite From The Ballet): Very Slow
Appalachian Spring (Suite From The Ballet): Fast
Appalachian Spring (Suite From The Ballet): Moderato
Appalachian Spring (Suite From The Ballet): Fast
Appalachian Spring (Suite From The Ballet): Still Faster
Appalachian Spring (Suite From The Ballet): As At First (Slowly)
Appalachian Spring (Suite From The Ballet): Calm And flowing
Appalachian Spring (Suite From The Ballet): Moderato; Coda
Letter From Home
Danzon Cubano

Tracks:

Lincoln Portrait: Lento
Lincoln Portrait: Subito Allegro
Lincoln Portrait: 'Fellow Citizens, We Cannot Escape History...'
Symphony No. 3: I. Molto Moderato-With Simple Expression
Symphony No. 3: II. Allegro Molto
Symphony No. 3: III. Andantino Quasi Allegretto
Symphony No. 3: IV. Molto Deliberato
Concerto For Clarinet, Strings, Harp, & Piano

Amazon.com

Aaron Copland made numerous recordings of his own music, including an extensive series for CBS during the 1960s and '70s, mostly with London orchestras. He was not an especially proficient conductor--consequently, the performances he conducted often lacked pace and rhythmic punch. His last recordings of his most popular scores have been reissued by Sony on an exceptionally well-remastered 3-CD set. These accounts do a good job of conveying the overall shape of the pieces, and they deliver telling characterizations of many episodes. Details emerge that are lost in some other accounts, and there is an appealing gentleness and sweetness to the approach. But the readings do not have as much grip as those of Bernstein and Slatkin, among others, and in spite of the authority they automatically possess, they are not necessarily preferable. --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews:

Bought this for Concerto for Clarinet.......2007-07-14

The sum is greater than the parts. This is a great Copland collection and shows his diversity. Yet as divers and the three CD are they are all distinctively Copland. Benny Goodman is usually associated with jazz yet he was also diverse in his career. "Concerto for Clarinet, Strings, and Harp & Piano" is a mantra that will carry you to a timeless place.

An added plus is the many other popular pieces that you know you heard but did not realize it was Copland especially the music from movies.

You may have to play the set a few times before being able to recognize the different tracks by name. The down side is many of Copland's works are outside of the date range of this collection.

Aaron Copland: Populist and Conductor.......2005-03-29

If you want a prime collection of Copland's more accessible works, this is it. Yes, it's true that Bernstein's recordings of individual pieces are often bolder and livelier; but this set offers the composer's own authoritative view of his work, and for that reason alone it is priceless. In addition, it includes virtually all the orchestral pieces he composed during his "populist phase," from El Salon Mexico (1936) to the Clarinet Concerto (1948). You won't find some of these lesser-known gems, such as An Outdoor Overture (1938) or Letter from Home (1944, written--like Rhapsody in Blue--for Paul Whiteman), on typical single-disc Copland compilations. I'd even go so far as to claim this as one of the four indispensable compilations of American instrumental music from the first half of the twentieth century (the others on my list--in case anyone cares--are Joshua Rifkin playing Scott Joplin, Oscar Levant playing Gershwin, and the Blanton-Webster band recordings of Duke Ellington).

What amazing riches flowed from Copland's pen during the period covered by these three discs! Billy the Kid (1939), Quiet City (1940), Our Town (1940), Fanfare for the Common Man (1942), Rodeo (1942), Lincoln Portrait (1942), Appalachian Spring (1944), and the Third Symphony (1946)--all are here. Some of this music is so familiar, so deeply ingrained in America's cultural consciousness, that we might be tempted to take it for granted. But imagine how much poorer the American concert repertoire would be without it. It's almost impossible, at this point, to conceive of a time when this wonderful music--which is to America roughly what Mussorgsky's music is to Russia, Grieg's to Norway, and Falla's to Spain--didn't exist. It was during the dozen years covered by this collection that Copland pulled away from the pack of his talented contemporaries (Hanson, Thomson, Harris, etc.) and, in a way, but with greater technical sophistication, filled the void left by the tragically early death of Gershwin, whose heyday, 1924-1935, immediately preceded the composition of the works on this collection.

The ballet music is all presented here in the familiar orchestral suites Copland arranged. Most of the selections are played by the London Symphony Orchestra, although the New Philharmonia and the just-plain Philharmonia get cracks at a few key works. The last-named orchestra, for instance, takes on the biggest piece on the program, Copland's Third, the closest thing American music has to a Beethoven's Ninth (although the work's sublime rhetoric has never completely convinced me--it's neither my personal favorite by Copland nor my favorite American symphony . . . but it sure has its moments). In addition to the fine orchestral playing, another treat is that Henry Fonda narrates the Lincoln Portrait--an almost inevitable pick, given the virtually mythic way his acting style embodied the American spirit and the fact that he had portrayed the sixteenth president in John Ford's classic film Young Mr. Lincoln (1939).

The set concludes with what, over the years, has become my favorite work by Copland, the Concerto for Clarinet, Strings, Harp, & Piano, written for and performed here by surely the last century's greatest clarinetist, Benny Goodman. This work effects a concise synthesis between Copland's mature style and his earlier jazz stylings from the 1920s; in addition, the searing eloquence of the opening slow movement seems to me the most profound lyrical writing Copland ever achieved. Stoltzman's recording, ironically enough, swings harder than the king of swing's, but this collaboration between the composer and the man who commissioned it is for the ages.

The only major "populist" scores written after the period this collection covers are the film scores to The Red Pony (1948) and The Heiress (1949). Both can be acquired on an essential Leonard Slatkin CD for RCA. And since this collection doesn't include chamber music, the great Violin Sonata (1943), a kind of more intimate counterpart to Appalachian Spring, will have to be sought elsewhere. (One good option is Gil Shaham/Andre Previn on DG.) A serious Copland collector will also want to grab the other two volumes of the Copland Collection itself. The early set features important works such as the Organ Symphony (1924), Music for the Theater (1925), and the Short Symphony (1932)--but both of the other collections also include long, thorny pieces like the early Symphonic Ode and the late Connotations that can be rather difficult for the average enthusiast to enjoy.

Most of the essential, universal Copland is to be found on this second installment of the Copland Collection, and I would definitely recommend it as the place to start exploring Copland's magnificent contribution to American music. It has been a wonderful and treasured companion of mine for many years, and it also serves to conjure up a timely and inspiring vision of open prairies, nocturnal cityscapes, and the populist, humane values that America should, ideally, epitomize.

Tribute to Lincoln.......2001-10-28

I purchased this set of Copeland CD's because I wanted the Tribute to Lincoln narrated by Henry Fonda. This is a masterful recording especially for Americans in this time. The Tribute sends chills down my spine whenever I her it. My greatest joy however, was how much I have enjoyed all of the CD's in the set. I tend to be much more of a classical listener. I have heard Copeland but not in any organized fashion. This set has brought a new and delightful experience to my listening options.

A great way to get your dose of Copland...........2000-06-30

The 2nd of this three CD collection is wonderful. My favorite though is the third one. Doesn't mean this isn't good. This Sony Copland Collection set is worth the money for. Copland is sooo much more then Appalachian Spring, Fanfare for the Common Man, Rodeo, etc... But you get a lot of typical Copland on these CDs. Songs we all know and love. But there are some unfamiliar good ones too. Concerto for Clarinet took me by storm. So did Letters from Home. Good quality, good booklet, good recording, good playing (how Copland got the London Symphony to play something right I will never know), good everything. It's not perfect because it doesn't compete with THE best Copland like the third CD set of this collection, or the The Tendeer Land. Oh, these three CD sets don't cover all Copland, but it does for the most part. It doesn't have many chamber works, two choral works, and his two operas. You can cover some of those with the full version of Tender Land and of Second Hurricane (which also comes with the choral work, In the Beginning). But this is a good series. I highly recommend it!

Well balanced retrospective, -or- Listen to this!.......1999-08-11

Mr. Copland's works, as always, are exceptional This album, which consists of his work both as a composer and as a conductor, brings his music to life in a way no other conductor can. This is a well mastered and well produced work and worth the listen. To hear Arron Copland's music as he intended is wonderfull.

Average customer rating:

Henry Fonda's Reading of Lincoln Portrait.....
Wonderful!
Portrait is closer to how Lincoln would have said it
Best versions of Appalachian Spring /Billy the Kid!
Appalachian Spring, the simple version

Copland conducts Copland

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Portraits Of Freedom: Music of Aaron Copland and Roy Harris
Copland Conducts Copland
Copland: Symphony No3; Symphony
Copland: Music For The Theatre/Piano Concerto
Copland: Orchestral Works

ASIN: B0000026GH
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Appalachian Spring (Original Version): Very Slowly
Appalachian Spring (Original Version): Allegro
Appalachian Spring (Original Version): Moderato
Appalachian Spring (Original Version): Fast
Appalachian Spring (Original Version): Subito Allegro
Appalachian Spring (Original Version): Meno Moso; As At First (slowly)
Appalachian Spring (Original Version): Doppio Movimento
Appalachian Spring (Original Version): Rather Slow
Appalachian Spring (Original Version): Very Deliberate
Appalachian Spring (Original Version): Poco Piu Moso
Appalachian Spring (Original Version): A Trifle Slower
Appalachian Spring (Original Version): Molto Allegro Ed Agitato
Appalachian Spring (Original Version): Broadly
Appalachian Spring (Original Version): Moderato (Like A Prayer)
Lincoln Portrait: Lento
Lincoln Portrait: Subito Allegro
Lincoln Portrait: 'Fellow Citizens, We Cannot Escape History...'
Billy The Kid ( Ballet Suite): Introduction: The Open Prairie
Billy The Kid ( Ballet Suite): Street In Frontier Town
Billy The Kid ( Ballet Suite): Prairie Night (Card Game At Night)
Billy The Kid ( Ballet Suite): Gun Battle
Billy The Kid ( Ballet Suite): Celebration (After Billy's Capture)
Billy The Kid ( Ballet Suite): Billy's Death
Billy The Kid ( Ballet Suite): The Open Prairie Again

Amazon.com

Although it has come to be much better known in Copland's arrangement for full orchestra, Appalachian Spring was originally composed for a chamber-sized complement of 13 instruments, the maximum that would fit in front of the stage at the Coolidge Auditorium in the Library of Congress, where Martha Graham's company gave the premiere of the ballet in 1944. Many listeners prefer the more vibrant and homespun sound of this original version, with its intimate expressiveness, to the splashiness and color of Copland's rescoring, brilliant as it is. Here, Copland conducts a hand-picked group of New York freelancers in what must be counted a definitive performance. The playing is energetic and expressive, the sentiment deep but not too sweet. Copland's 1968 account of his Lincoln Portrait, with Henry Fonda as narrator, and 1969 reading of the suite from Billy the Kid round out the disc most satisfactorily. All three recordings are remarkably vivid. --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews:

Henry Fonda's Reading of Lincoln Portrait............2006-12-16

.....alone makes this cd worth the price. This may say more about me than I like, but I own several versions of Appalachian Spring. It was worth adding one more to the collection just so I could get my hands on Henry Fonda's reading of the Lincoln Portrait. I've listened to almost all of them but this one best captures Lincoln's decency and moral stature. Fonda reads it with great emotion and warmth. When you really want to understand the best of American values this is the place to start.

Wonderful!.......2006-08-10

This was my first exposure to Copland. Copland is the quintessential American composer. His compositions are some of my favorites. As for this verson, Henry Fonda is by far the best orator for The Lincoln Portrait. James Earl Jones comes a close second. If you enjoy good music, you will enjoy this album.

Portrait is closer to how Lincoln would have said it.......2006-07-14

I can appreciate the previous reviewer who felt that Henry Fonda's interpretation of the Lincoln Portrait was a bit bland. I respectfully disagree.

We know from research that Abraham Lincoln was a soft spoken man with a thin reedy voice. His delivery, it has been speculated, would have been firm but with a bit of a down home quality. I believe the late Henry Fonda has the best reading of this text. The versions by Charlton Heston, James Earl Jones and William Warfield are excellent but they all have a dramatic quality that is very unlike Lincoln the man.

I will agree that the mixing on the this recording could have been better, but I still prefer that restrained yet confident sound of Henry Fonda. To me it has the same quality as his "I'll be there" speech at the conclusion of The Grapes of Wrath.

Very moving.

Best versions of Appalachian Spring /Billy the Kid!.......2004-02-14

If I had to choose one Copland album over all others in my collection, this would be the one!
When I purchased this cd many years ago, I hadn't realized at the time that this was the original, longer version of "Appalachian Spring" for chamber orchestra until I first played it, and it totally took me by surprise - what a revelation! It's become both my favorite version and recording of this piece.

The orchestration in "A Lincoln Portrait" is superb, and although the late Henry Fonda's reading does have a certain, peculiar quality to it, it's a vast improvement over the sound of the vinyl.

The "Billy the Kid" suite is absolutely thunderous and intensely psychotic, the BEST version ever recorded, IMHO, with the opening tympani beats guaranteed to shake your speakers and sub-woofers and the house along with it.

Appalachian Spring, the simple version.......2003-08-25

This version of Appalachian Spring is truly the original version. If you are looking for the true American spirit in Copland's music, by all means, buy this cd. Appalachian Spring is already such a simply beautiful piece of music, but when Copland conducts, you can really hear how Copland feels about the piece. I find the simple elegance of this piece inspiring, and this cd has helped me form a good idea of the style Copland would want for when I perform this piece with an orchestra.

Essential Aaron Copland: 12 Greatest Hits

Average customer rating:

Aaron Copland: Essential Classics

Essential Aaron Copland: 12 Greatest Hits

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music
ASIN: B0000D1FK8
Release Date: 2003-10-14

Tracks:

Fanfare For The Common Man
Very Slowly
Allegro
Moderate: The Bride And Her Intended
Fast: The Revivalist And His Flock
Allegro: Solo Dance Of The Bride
Meno Mosso
Doppio Movimento: Variations On A Shaker Hymn
Moderato: Coda
Buckaroo Holiday
Corral Nocturne
Saturday Night Waltz
Hoc-Down
Lincoln Portrait
Ceremonial Fanfare

Tracks:

Quiet City
New England Countryside
Barley Wagons
Sunday Traffic
Grovers Corners
Threshing Machines
El Salon Mexico
The Open Prarie
Street In A Frontier Town
Celebration - Billy In Prison - Waltz
Danzon Cubano
Lento - Molto Allegro - Adagio Molto
Andante Moderato
Allegro Vivo

Customer Reviews:

Aaron Copland: Essential Classics.......2003-11-21

This excellent introduction to the symphonic Copland repackages an earlier "Decca Double Decker" (see B000004284). Deleted are "Old American Songs" and added are "Billy the Kid" and "Danzon Cubano". These recordings were made from 1969-1994. The sonics are exemplary. The performances are all very good to excellent. Everyone has their personal favorites of these works so your mileage may vary.

Dorati & Detroit SO > Rodeo, El Solon Mexico, Dance Symphony. Howarth & London Sinfonietta > Music for the Movies. Marriner & The Academy > Quiet City. Metha & LAPO > Fanfare for the Common Man, Appalachian Spring, Lincoln Portrait with Gregory Peck, narrator. Philip Jones Brass Ensemble > Ceremonial Fanfare. Zinman & Baltimore SO > Billy the Kid, Danzon Cubano.

Gregory Peck comes across very, very well. Warm, personal, forthright. Worth the price of the disc just to hear him deliver the words wrapped in Copland's music as directed by Metha and performed by the LA Philharmonic Orchestra.

Don't expect any copious liner notes here -- there aren't any. Just a listing of what's what and who did what. Two panels of the folded sheet are needlessly occupied by advertising other "essential" CDs. I would gladly rip them out if I didn't like the overall design so much. The art direction and design of the package is stellar but lacks "essential" or any background information.

Unless I'm mistaken, there are 5 "hits" on the first disc and 6 on the second. That's 11. The subtitle here is "12 Greatest Hits". Am I missing something?

Tracks:

John Henry
Appalachian Spring: Very Slowly
Appalachian Spring: Calm And Flowing (Shaker Melody: Simple Gifts)
Appalachian Spring: Moderato. Coda
Rodeo (Four Dance Episodes): 'Hoe-Down'
Lincoln Portrait (without narration)
Music For The Theatre: Interlude
Fanfare for the Common Man
Dance Panels (Ballet In Seven Sections): Pas de Trois: Lento
Letter From Home
Music For Movies: Grover's Corner From 'Our Town'
Billy the Kid (Orchestral Suite): The Open Prairie
Billy the Kid (Orchestral Suite): The Opera Prairie Again

Amazon.com

Director Spike Lee states, "When I listen to Aaron Copland's music, I hear America, and basketball is America." That may be far-fetched for those who saw Lee's film, especially when the only other music in the film was that of Public Enemy. On its own, though, this album is a welcome "greatest hits" collection of Copland's Americana. The CD and the movie start off with John Henry, a slow-building, beguiling melody that works effortlessly with Lee's montage of basketball images. More spirited numbers such as "Hoe-Down" from Rodeo and Fanfare for the Common Man are also featured on the soundtrack. Unlike many Copland compilation CDs, this collection features abridged selections, allowing for more variety of source material: symphonies, soundtracks from movies (Of Mice and Men, Our Town), and ballets. Maybe not the CD for the purist, but a welcome first album for those who were introduced to Copland's music by the film. At over 60 minutes, it's a worthwhile investment. --Doug Thomas

Customer Reviews:

Love it!.......2007-03-03

Copland is awesome and Spike Lee has an amazing ability to find the perfect music for everything he does. Get this cd! Legitimate 5 stars!

Beautiful Music.......1999-09-25

The Music of Aaron Copleand is timeless and purely Amerian. Thus, it is the best choice to be in a movie about basketball, one of America's favorite sports. This collection of Aaron Copland's music introduced me to this great composer and is a perfect start for new classical listeners. SUperb.

Average customer rating:

Should be called "Paltry Snippets"; What a bad disk
THE recording of The Lincoln Portrait.

Copland Super Hits

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Bernstein Century - Copland: Appalachian Spring, Rodeo, etc / Bernstein, New York PO
Ultimate Copland Album
George Gershwin: Greatest Hits
Copland: Music for Films
Copland: The Music of America

ASIN: B00004W5AC
Release Date: 2000-08-08

Customer Reviews:

Should be called "Paltry Snippets"; What a bad disk.......2005-03-14

What a misleading disk. It is not "super hits", but 2-5 minute sections of of these works. Do NOT buy this disk if you love the pieces that are on it. It will only make you wonder "where'd the rest of the cut go?" MAYBE there are 25 minutes of music total on this whole disk, chopped up into soundbytes. Copeland is rolling over in his grave.

THE recording of The Lincoln Portrait........2000-09-18

There is something special about this recording of the Lincoln Portrait. The special ingredient is Henry Fonda's baritone Nebraska accent that sends chills down my spine when I hear his narration, even to this day.

Average customer rating:

Although great music, the CD is very abbreviated.
Wonderful Collect

Greatest Hits

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

English | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Orchestral Pop | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music

Opera & Vocal | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Tchaikovsky: Greatest Hits
Mozart: Greatest Hits
Antonio Vivaldi: Greatest Hits
Wagner: Greatest Hits
Prokofiev: Greatest Hits

ASIN: B000002A1R
Release Date: 1994-08-09

Tracks:

Fanfare For The Common Man
El Salco
Appalachian Spring: 'Simple Gifts'
Billy the Kid (Orchestral Suite) (Excerpts): Gun Battle
Billy the Kid (Orchestral Suite) (Excerpts): Celebration (After Billy's Capture)
Rodeo (Excerpts): Buckaroo Holiday
Rodeo (Excerpts): Hoe-Down
The Tender Land: 'The Promise Of Living'
Music For The Theatre: Dance
Quiet City
The Red Pony: 'Morning On The Ranch'
Lincoln Portrait

Customer Reviews:

Although great music, the CD is very abbreviated........2000-10-22

The musical selection of this CD is certainly what the cover says, however the cuts are very short. Typically 2 to 4 minutes in length. in my personal opinion I prefer a little more continuity of content.

Wonderful Collect.......2000-07-16

This is a wondeful CD- Aaron Copland is a pure geniuos and every songs is so beautiful and perfectly crafted. I cherish this CD and listen to it all the time- none stop. I would urge anyone to buy it. It's worth it.