5.0 out of 5 stars
The Classical Copland from Copland House, December 17, 2011
This review is from: The Chamber Music Of Aaron Copland (Audio CD)
With the 1990 Musicmaster recordings with Dennis Russell Davies no longer available, this ablum of Copland's abstract chamber works from the late 1920s to early 1950s is a splendid introduction to his less popular, more classical compositions. Indeed, the addition of a second disc provides a greater exploration. The album is an Amazon CD-R and like its ilk, liner notes or insert are lacking. Indeed, you would have no idea that this 2006 Arabesque Recording includes the following musicians from Copland House: Derek Bermel, clarinet; Michael Boriskin, piano; Paul Lustig Dunkel, flute; Nicolas Kitchen, violin; and Wilhelmina Smith, cello. Thus, with a first-rate ensemble residing in Copland's own home, we could expect a proper and worthy recording; and it is. These are chamber pieces, but you will still hear a jazzy tempo (in Ukulele Sernade and the first movement of the Sextet) and a folkloric tune (in the piano-percussive Vitebsky). On the other hand, the piano quartet is a 12-tone composition. For more chamber pieces, listen to his Complete Music for Solo Piano [e.g., Leo Smit/Sony]. Despite all the various abstract, often stringent pieces, the Americana Copland is just below the surface, as his beautiful, lyrical Sonata for Violin and Piano indicates. This album is for all Copland fans and collectors of 20th-century American classical music.
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