I'm not much of a Copland guy, but I'm over my phase of strongly disliking his music. They say growing up as a music student in Finland, you are going to hate Sibelius as part of a "rebellion" against the music that is constantly shoved down your throat, and perhaps it is the same story here in America with Copland.
I have the Bernstein Century disc with Appalachian Spring, Rodeo, and Billy the Kid. Listening to Appalachian Spring now. I'm enjoying it, and as it is a beautiful early springtime here in the Appalachian Piedmont, I can't help but hearing extramusical associations in the music—even though, of course, Copland named the piece only after its completion.
Anyway, I ought to give more of his music a fair chance. I have heard some of those BBC Philharmonic Copland recordings on Chandos and liked what I heard, I might want to get my hands on one of those CDs, or maybe something on Naxos. It seems they have recorded a lot of his orchestral music under fine conductors, Slatkin, Alsop, Judd, etc.
What other Copland is worth listening to? I remember really enjoying the early Piano Concerto back when I was first getting into classical music.