Aaron Copland gave America what Grieg had given Norway
and Smetana had given Czechoslovakia: a national musical sound. The open
harmonies (first and fifth tones played without any thirds) and
folktune-inspired melodies (both Western and Appalachian) he used in his
Big Three ballets -- Rodeo, Billy the Kid, and Appalachian Spring
-- are the hallmark of American music in 20th-century concert music and
in movie soundtracks too. Both of the Western ballets are full of
galumphing, not-quite-under-control energy, while Spring is tender and
heartfelt. Leonard Bernstein leads the New York Philharmonic in suites
from those first two on this 1981 CBS Great Performances CD (reissuing
recordings made in 1960), and that's the correct label for it to be on -
flashy, bold, and impressive in every instrument. This is the "Hoe
Down" that sets the bar for all others.
From the Amazin review:
If Copland's own recordings of his music have the warmth of a soft summer night, those by Leonard Bernstein convey the blazing heat of noon. In his later remakes of several of these scores for Deutsche Grammophon, Bernstein exhibited a tendency toward overly-nuanced readings. But his earlier accounts with the New York Philharmonic, recorded by CBS in the late 1950s and early 1960s, are still incomparable in their vitality and impetus. Bernstein's way with the Western ballets is exuberantly personal and persuasive. He has the ability to move between delicacy and brashness, always getting the gestures right, and he delivers magical characterizations of both scores. The Phiharmonic's playing, while sometimes a bit raw, is confident and rhythmically secure; there is certainly nothing to apologize for here. --Ted Libbey
Disc, booklet, and case are in mint condition.
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