A Copland Celebration Vol. 1 [Original recording remastered]

Aaron Copland (Composer), Aaron Copland (Conductor), Columbia Chamber Ensemble (Performer), London Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), New Philharmonia Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Columbia Chamber Ensemble
• Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra, New Philharmonia Orchestra
• Conductor: Aaron Copland
• Composer: Aaron Copland
• Audio CD (November 7, 2000)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B000050HWS
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #116,996 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #88 in Music > Classical > Forms & Genres > Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music > Marches

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Fanfare for the Common Man, for brass & percussion (from Symphony No. 3)

2. Rodeo, selections from the ballet (including 'Four Dance Episodes'): 1. Buckaroo Holiday

3. Rodeo, selections from the ballet (including 'Four Dance Episodes'): 2. Corral Nocturne

4. Rodeo, selections from the ballet (including 'Four Dance Episodes'): 3. Saturday Night Waltz

5. Rodeo, selections from the ballet (including 'Four Dance Episodes'): 4. Hoe-Down

6. Billy the Kid, orchestral suite from the ballet: Introduction: The Open Prairie

7. Billy the Kid, orchestral suite from the ballet: Street in a Frontier Town

8. Billy the Kid, orchestral suite from the ballet: Card Game at Night (Prairie Night)

9. Billy the Kid, orchestral suite from the ballet: Gun Battle

10. Billy the Kid, orchestral suite from the ballet: Celebration Dance (after Billy's Capture)

See all 16 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Appalachian Spring, ballet for 13 instruments: Very Slowly

2. Appalachian Spring, ballet for 13 instruments: Allegro

3. Appalachian Spring, ballet for 13 instruments: Moderato

4. Appalachian Spring, ballet for 13 instruments: Fast

5. Appalachian Spring, ballet for 13 instruments: Subito Allegro

6. Appalachian Spring, ballet for 13 instruments: Meno Mosso

7. Appalachian Spring, ballet for 13 instruments: Doppio movimento

8. Appalachian Spring, ballet for 13 instruments: Rather slow

9. Appalachian Spring, ballet for 13 instruments: Very deliberate

10. Appalachian Spring, ballet for 13 instruments: Poco più mosso

See all 18 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The composer as conductor is unusurpassed, March 29, 2001

By 

"pspa" (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Copland Celebration Vol. 1 (Audio CD)

This is a reissue of recordings conducted by Copland himself that are totally definitive and, to my mind, superior to the recordings by Bernstein that are generally considered to be the best. The composer has a broader, grander vision of these works, taking them at a slower and more majestic pace than Bernstein and others. In his hands this is great classical music, not just upscale cowboy music. The sound quality is phenomenal for the most part as well, the engineers must have performed miracles because the recordings with the LSO sound better than almost any modern digital recording. Highly recommended.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great treat!, March 6, 2001

By 

Josef Krebs (Seattle) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Copland Celebration Vol. 1 (Audio CD)

Here we have not only the original, complete chamber arrangement of Appalachian Spring in a pretty fine performance by Copland, but we get a neat 17 minutes of Copland rehearsing it, which is pretty cool for the Copland fan. Plus Nonet for Strings, well performed, which is a rare thing these days. The other disk is pretty average - Copland wasn't much of a conductor, but the chamber Appalachian and Nonet make up for it. Cheap and unique. A must have for the Copland fan.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Unique Opportunity to hear it from Coplands mind, February 1, 2004

By 

Dennis Pitman "Compdude" (Denton, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Copland Celebration Vol. 1 (Audio CD)

Aaron Copland can be and should be considered the father of American concert music. He decisively created a style of music that needed to be made as we were reaching maturity as a country. This collection of his orchestral works gives a great outline of the music that makes Copland such a innovative composer.
I personally find that the most interesting part of this collection is the inclusion of rehearsal audio from the same recording of Appalachian Spring that appears on the CD. This offers a unique opportunity to hear what Copland's vision of his music was. I am one who personally believes that no performance of a concert orchestral piece can be heard as it was meant to be unless the composer is leading the ensemble. By hearing Copland conducting a rehearsal of one of his masterworks, the listener is given a greater appreciation for exactly what Copland's vision was for his own music.

A definite must have for lovers of the young tradition of American Music.