Customer Reviews

Copland: The Tender Land (The Complete Chamber Version)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I saw Sidlin's chamber version of this opera in Pittsburgh a few years ago and walked out of the concert with a warm glow inside. I've been beating the drum for this gentle little opera ever since, and I am glad to have his recording now.

This is wonderful music, and if all you know of Copland is Appalachian Spring and the other popular suites, you are in for a real treat. The quintet that closes the First Act, "The Promise of Living" is stirring and may cause you to hit that "repeat" button on your remote more than once.

The chamber version is thinner and leaner sounding than the full version, and as such it places greater demands on the singers. The chamber version is definitely a singer's opera; the orchestra is just along for the ride. Luckily, they're up to it. I noticed no weak spots among the cast. Ironically, the Brunelle/MN/Virgin recording uses the full orchestral version but the voices sound all wrong, as if the singers had just accidently wandered in from a Broadway play.

This is the one to get. Compleatists might want to seek out the Brunelle version too, but start with this one.

-Ed

I will never forget the day that I first found a 33 1/3 recording of The Tender Land in Bailey's Music Rooms on Church Street in Burlington, Vermont. I made my way up the hill to the Billings Student Center, found an empty listening booth, opened up the record, and started it spinning. When I heard the glorious ending of the First Act: "The Promise of Living," I dissolved into tears.
Now it is many years later, and there's a new recording, this time a more complete version, but a chamber version at that. I can only say that this work still moves me even today as it did then, and the chamber version seems a much better rendition than the one I originally owned for two reasons: First, because it's more complete, so the plot makes better sense. Second because it is a chamber version, it has a greater tendency to evoke the stark realities of Midwest farmlife in the depression era. Copland essentially grew up as a composer during that era, and it is worth studying some of his starker piano pieces, especially the Piano Variations and the Piano Sonata, to see how he evolved from a spare style that beautifully evoked the America of his day to the more substantial works that came later: Appalachian Spring, Billy the Kid, Rodeo, and this great opera called The Tender Land. If anything, this opera is proof that the lessons he learned during the Depression were not lost on him, and became the basis for all the great music that followed.

Just recently, I was introduced to Copland when I had to sing "THE TENDER LAND" for a choral event. I found this peice to be deeply moving, and I looked elsewhere for the CD. After listening to the whole thing, I was pratically moved to tears by the shear beauty and power of the theme of the music. I always enjoyed Copland's work, like the Appalation Spring, or Rodeo, but this takes the cake. I give it a five star rating.

Excellent orchestrations. The chamber setting emphasizes the vocal demands placed on the singers.

The vocal casting is superb. Honest voices singing honest roles.

This combination affords the listener the chance to enjoy this opera as it is intended. The opera is often described as unlistenable, mostly due to the over production of sound. "The Tender Land" was never intended to sound Wagnerian.

This release is a mixed blessing. While the chamber music setting gives a more intimate quality to many of the more tender moments, the "big" sections sound distinctly undernourished compared to the full orchestral version still available. For example, The Promise of Living is not nearly as powerful here (despite excellent singing). Ditto the scene at the big party when everyone is dancing. I also thought the love duet lacked the impact of the full orchestral version. On the other hand, the opening and ending are lovely, the touches of the piano welcome, and the general cast very good. Some of the writing is simply awkward, as when grandpa shouts "BUMS! NO GOOD BUMS!", and a few sections are a bit tedious. Nevertheless, I recommend both versions to give the best possible overall view of this engaging work. Frankly, the ending has never made any sense to me. Most people wouldn't blow off their graduation....Laurie could have stayed one more day as it is not even clear where she is going. That is probably why The Tender Land was rejected for TV, the ending is not convincing and even flat, rare for Copland.