Customer Reviews

Copland: Rodeo; El Salón México; Danzón Cubano; Billy The Kid

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There is no comparison between this album and Bernstein's recordings of the same music. Bernstein is more rhythmically pointed and "punchier". When those cowboys dance, Bernstein makes it exuberant! Bernstein is also much more evocative in "Billy the Kid". Copland once said that Bernstein was the best conductor of his music, and this recording does not alter that fact.

Having said that, there is some music here that Bernstein did not see fit to include in the suites he recorded, and I enjoy hearing that music. Additionally, it's nice to hear these smoother, more self-conciously pretty performances every once in a while. You will hear some orchestral details here that are easy to miss in Bernstein's more lively renditions. I marvel at how beautifully this orchestra plays, and at how good it sounds on record!

This is available very inexpensively used, and it makes a nice second version of these pieces, assuming that the unsurpassed Berstein recordings are already on your shelf.

I have to agree with Jeff. The Bernstein is the best recording ever and it will never be surpassed. The Zinman is a good runner-up, however, especially with Baltimore's solid brass playing and the Argo label's spectacularly recorded bass drum! An extra added bonus is the inclusion of music you normally don't hear in recordings of Rodeo and Billy the Kid.