Copland: Piano Concerto; Appalachian Spring; Symphonic Ode

1. Piano Concerto
Composed by Aaron Copland
Performed by Seattle Symphony Orchestra with Lorin Hollander
Conducted by Gerard Schwarz

2. Appalachian Spring, concert suite
Composed by Aaron Copland
Performed by Seattle Symphony Orchestra with Lorin Hollander
Conducted by Gerard Schwarz

3. Symphonic Ode, for orchestra
Composed by Aaron Copland
Performed by Seattle Symphony Orchestra with Lorin Hollander
Conducted by Gerard Schwarz

Tracks:

Concerto For Piano And Orchestra: Andante sostenuto
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra: Molto moderato; Allegro assai
Orchestral Variations
Short Symphony (Symphony No. 2): Incisivo
Short Symphony (Symphony No. 2): Espressivo
Short Symphony (Symphony No. 2): Preciso e ritmico
Symphonic Ode

Tracks:

Billy The Kid
Appalachian Spring
Rodeo: Buckaroo Holiday
Rodeo: Corral Nocturne
Rodeo: Saturday Night Waltz
Rodeo: Hoe Down

Tracks:

Fanfare for the Common Man
Introduction to The Modernist and Symphonic Ode
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra
Orchestral Variations
Short Symphony
Introduction to The Populist
Billy the Kid
Appalachian Spring
Rodeo
On First Meeting Aaron Copland and Aaron Copland the Man
Introduction to Fanfare for the Common Man
Fanfare for the Common Man

Customer Reviews:

Broke package.......2007-06-27

I could not give it as a gift because the case was damaged.

I was told I would get a return label.

Roger

The Music is Beautiful, but the Extras are Priceless.......2006-02-21

Michael Tilson Thomas has long been known to have had a happy and fruitful relationship with the great Aaron Copland. His intimate knowledge of Copland's music and heart are evident in these recordings. The second symphony and the Appalachian Ballet(! as opposed to suite, which leaves out a very gorgeous, mysterious movement) are gorgeously rendered, as is the inimitable Fanfare for the Common Man. Billy the Kid is always a delight, of course. The Orchestral Variations are so invigoratingly different from what most people think of when they think of Copland, and this rendering is lively and precise. If I had one complaint, and it is a small one, it would be that I had a hard time with this interpretation of Rodeo, which didn't seem to find it's rhythm and gallop the way I'm used to. Still good, but I've heard better.

But for me, an aspiring composer, the thing that puts this set over the top is the absolutely delightful commentary on the contents of the set by MTT. Not only do you get to hear a wonderful history lesson, but MTT obviously has a light, joyous love of music, and particularly that of Copland, that is infectious and inspiring. After hearing the commentary, I found myself much more deeply involved in the second listening of the set. I must disagree with the reviewer who compared MTT with Bernstein, not that one has more "quality" than the other, but that such a comparison has any merit or point in the first place. They are two very different people. MTT's commentary makes this set a must-have for Music lovers and especially for Copland aficionados.

It's not Bernstein and never will be.......2005-09-21

Tilson Thomas flirted briefly with trying to be the next Bernstein but luckily has gone his own way. He is not a fiery or driven conductor--one can't say of him that he is possessed by music, a phrase Bernstien used about himself. In these Copland recordings he certainly conducts well, but the spirit of Copland seems lost among the careful detailing. This should be simple music to conduct but somehow only Bernstein catches the rollicking joy, the democratic dance rhythms, and the underlying sophistication at the same time. These readings strike me as too sophisticated by half, although they are in great sound.

Aaron Copland: The Essence of America.......2003-06-23

Having heard MTT perform Copland live and with astounding impact I was delighted with this set. MTT's perfomances are exciting and have alot of insight. The 'Modernist' CD is perhaps a little dry compared with the 'Populist' one but the two compliment each other well as a result. MTT's comments as an interpreter and friend of Copland are invaluable and provide an accurate and lively interpretation of the composer's music. He delivers his words with great enthusiasm and clarity and his 'scat' singing on the disk is not to be missed!.. All in all this is a great box set and every Copland fan/student should have it. I hope it's not too long before MTT releases a recording of the 3rd Symphony - if it turned out like this set then we would have another definitive Copland recording.

The two faces of Copland.......2001-10-29

This set contains 2 music CD's: One CD has Copland's earlier more chaotic works, and the other CD has the Copland's more famous works: Rodeo, Billy the Kid, and Appalacian Spring suites. The third CD is a commentary on the works on the other two disks, and also contains "Fanfare for the Common Man".

The Appalacian disk is the greatest of the set. All three works have a new fresh interpretation, and the Appalacian Spring suite includes a section that is usually cut in most performances. (When I first listened it definitely took me by surprise!) MTT is perhaps the greatest living conductor for modern music and he does not disappoint.

I did not care much for the CD containing Copland's modernistic works. The early works are very aggressive and "in-your-face" with irregular rhythms, which some may prefer, but they are a bit too modern for me.

Tracks:

Copland: Fanfare for the Common Man
Bernstein: Fancy Free (Danzon: Variation III)
Bernstein: On The Town (Times Square)
Gerswin: Rhapsody In Blue (Andante And Finale)
Bernstein: Prelude, Fugue And Riffs
Copland: Simple Gifts
Bernstein: On The Water Front (Love Theme)
Bernstein: West Side Story Symphonic Dances ('Cool', Fugue)
Stravinsky: The Rite Of Spring (Danse sacrale)
Bernstein: Chicester Psalms (Psalms 108 And 100)
Haydn: Symphony No. 88 (Finale)
Mahler: Symphony No. 5 (Adagietto)
Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 (Final Chorus: 'Ode to Joy - Freedom' - Berlin 12-25-89)
Bernstein: Divertimento (Waltz)

Copland: Piano Concerto; Appalachian Spring; Symphonic Ode

Average customer rating:

Three by Copland--an Interesting Mix
Mr. Hollender Is A Great Guy

Copland: Piano Concerto; Appalachian Spring; Symphonic Ode

Manufacturer: Delos Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0000006ZA
Release Date: 1995-09-19

Tracks:

Concerto For Piano And Orchestra--I.Andante
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra--I.Andante: II. Molto moderato (molto rubato)
Appalachian Spring (Suite)
Symphonic Ode

Customer Reviews:

Three by Copland--an Interesting Mix.......2005-07-28

Here are two of Copland's early and to some extent experimental works together with a certified classic, maybe his finest piece. The Piano Concerto, premiered in 1928, is the last of Copland's purely jazz-influenced works. Like the earlier Organ Symphony, it created quite a stink when it was premiered in Boston. To a critic--let alone a mere music lover--of the 1920s, it must have seemed outrageously forward-looking with its polyrhythms and dissonances, its brash orchestration and pop-musical roots. In fact, the critic Philip Hale wrote that the concerto "shows a shocking lack of taste, proportion." Actually, it's hard to argue with Hale on this score: the concerto isn't a very good work, and as far as the use of jazz is concerned, it's far less attractively done than in Gershwin's popular Piano Concerto in F of a couple years earlier. Ditto if you're looking for a truly sophisticated integration of jazz and classical music: Ravel's two concertos, written just a year or two later, make Copland's sound absolutely scrappy if not downright trashy. Sorry, that's just the case. Hollander and Schwarz do their level best by the concerto, but they can't redeem it from mediocrity.

On the other hand, Copland himself thought highly of his little-known Symphonic Ode, written for the Boston Symphony and premiered in 1932, and he's right in his appreciation that this work represented a breakthrough for him. True, there is a lot of empty passagework here, a lot of places where the orchestra just skitters up and down the scale, but there is also that same wide-open-spaces sound that would establish itself as typically American in the wake of pieces like "Billy the Kid" and "Rodeo." Here, too, is what Copland himself identified as a certain "spirit." This spirit would later translate into the little-man-as-hero populism of works such as the Third Symphony, "John Henry," and "A Lincoln Portrait." And the ending of the piece is pretty exciting in the frenzied manner of "El Salon Mexico." The Symphonic Ode is not great Copland, but it's pretty good Copland.

Then of course there is "Appalachian Spring," maybe the greatest of great Copland. Schwarz and his orchestra give a fine performance with good basic tempos and careful regard for Copland's lovely, subtle sense of orchestral color. No use comparing this performance to classics from the likes of Bernstein, Thomas, or Copland himself; if it isn't quite a classic, it's a very, very decent job nonetheless. Throw in a highly effective performance of the Ode, and you have a recording that should satisfy Copland fans who want to hear their composer at his best, as well as explore a bit. Big, bright, impactive sound seals the deal for me.

Mr. Hollender Is A Great Guy.......2000-09-30

As a freind of Mr. Hollender I just want to say that this is a great CD and he is amazing live.

Track Listings: