The Copland Corral

[karlhenning]

Sweet.

[DavidW]

You need to find a way to get Copland's Symphony for Organ and Orchestra.  It has an ethereal magic that will embrace you like a cold London fog.

[jowcol]

You need to find a way to get Copland's Symphony for Organ and Orchestra.  It has an ethereal magic that will embrace you like a cold London fog.

And the last movement will rock your world....

[Bogey]

A Copland "sighting" on the radio a few minutes ago:

Aaron Copland: The Tender Land: Suite
Boston Symphony Orchestra / Aaron Copland
RCA 61505

[vandermolen]

A Copland "sighting" on the radio a few minutes ago:

Aaron Copland: The Tender Land: Suite
Boston Symphony Orchestra / Aaron Copland
RCA 61505

One of my favourite works by Copland, which I prefer to the Appalachian Spring. I have this recording on an old RCA LP. I bought it for the Appalachian Spring and I never played The Tender Land Suite until I heard it on the radio whilst on holiday in the Yorkshire Dales. I was delighted to realise that I had the work on disc!

[vandermolen]

How does the Piano Concerto grab you, Jeffrey?

Karl,

It has only taken me 17 months to answer your question  . I like it very much and often play it - just read through the thread again, so apologies for delay. I wonder which recording of Copland's Third Symphony is the favourite of those who (like me) admire this work. Personally I like Eduardo Mata with the Dallas SO in a nice programme including El Salon Mexico and Danzon Cubano - which is a hoot. In the symphony I think that Mata steers an admirable middle course between the reticence of Copland's own recordings with British orchestras and the more extrovert Bernstein recordings on CBS/Sony and DGG.

The Mata has just been reissued in a slightly different programme in EMI's American Classics series.

[karlhenning]

Thanks, Jeffrey! And that's one of the great things about the thread organization of GMG . . . hardly any answer is genuinely "too late" : )

[vandermolen]

Thanks, Jeffrey! And that's one of the great things about the thread organization of GMG . . . hardly any answer is genuinely "too late" : )

Hi Karl!

There is an even older message from you about Honegger's book 'I am a Composer' which I need to reply to! But I'm off for 5 days in Istanbul tomorrow - so will get back to you when I return.

What's your favourite recording of Copland's Third Symphony?

Jeffrey

[karlhenning]

Haven't heard all that many, but I really enjoy the Ennzedd Symphony with James Judd.

[chasmaniac]

These are the discs that will introduce me to Copland. Might be hard to believe, but I actually do require such an introduction. All have been well reviewed somewhere, at least one was mentioned upthread. And being Naxos they're cheap. Don't cost much either. So what am I getting? Is it large, small, splendid, contrived, reactionary, beautiful? or, as Gollum asked, What is taters?

[karlhenning]

Of those four discs, I have only the Alsop/Bournemouth Symphony recording of the Dance Symphony/Short Symphony/Symphony № 1.  It's a mighty good disc, and the music is all dead representative of Copland — so you shall know for certain whether you like his music or not! ; )

Another excellent Naxos disc is the Judd/Ennzedd Symphony recording of Billy the Kid & the Symphony № 3.  The latter symphony is meatier, more rhetorically "symphonic" than most of Copland's music . . . but, too, it may well sit at the summit of his oeuvre.  Billy the Kid, of course, is in his classic, Americana ballet mode . . . sort of if Tom Sawyer had whitewashed a Stravinsky score . . . .

[chasmaniac]

Of those four discs, I have only the Alsop/Bournemouth Symphony recording of the Dance Symphony/Short Symphony/Symphony № 1.  It's a mighty good disc, and the music is all dead representative of Copland — so you shall know for certain whether you like his music or not! ; )

Thanks. That's the one I'll start with.

I feel like a fish out of water when it comes to any music past The Seasons! But over the years I've run across a few moderny things that I've liked, all of them relatively lyrical. Vaughn Williams' softer stuff, some Hovhaness, some John Adams, December by Michael Torke, Old and Lost Rivers by Tobias Picker and even a bit of Richard Strauss, Metamorphosen. So what I'm looking for (I guess) is the harmonic sophistication and rhythmic freedom of modernity conjoined with a conventional melodic lyricism.

[karlhenning]

Copland may well be just up your street, then. And, it's just plain strong music.

[vandermolen]

Thanks. That's the one I'll start with.

I feel like a fish out of water when it comes to any music past The Seasons! But over the years I've run across a few moderny things that I've liked, all of them relatively lyrical. Vaughn Williams' softer stuff, some Hovhaness, some John Adams, December by Michael Torke, Old and Lost Rivers by Tobias Picker and even a bit of Richard Strauss, Metamorphosen. So what I'm looking for (I guess) is the harmonic sophistication and rhythmic freedom of modernity conjoined with a conventional melodic lyricism.

You might try Copland's 'Symphonic Ode' - a little more challenging than his 'populist' scores, but a poerful, granitic, monolithic score which I think very highly of. There are about three recordings - Michael Tilson Thomas is the best.

[eyeresist]

I listened to Bernstein's first recording of the 3rd last night, and was once again unimpressed (I'm generally not a Lenny fan). I don't think he characterises the episodes as individually as he should, e.g. the first part of the scherzo isn't driven enough, and the following part should be slower. The end of the slow movement has some very atmospheric, atonal-sounding stuff which sounds prosaic here IMO.

I will fish out the Mata recording tonight, though I don't recall that one as expecially persuasive either.

I wonder if anyone has heard and reviewed all the available recorded versions? The reviews on Amazon are useless: they either rave about how "this is the most American-sounding American symphony ever written by an American composer, composing in America! Awesome!" - or else they rave about how great the recording sounds on their hi-fi system (with specs), as though that's all anyone could possibly want to know before purchase.

I think these are all the recordings:

Bernstein Sony
Bernstein DG
Mata
Slatkin
Judd
Jarvi
Levi
Oue
Robert Tomaro [MMC label]
Copland (only one recording?)

[Mirror Image]

How does everybody feel about Copland's Clarinet Concerto? I think it's one of the best for the instrument I've heard along with Lindberg's and Finzi's.

[mc ukrneal]

I listened to Bernstein's first recording of the 3rd last night, and was once again unimpressed (I'm generally not a Lenny fan). I don't think he characterises the episodes as individually as he should, e.g. the first part of the scherzo isn't driven enough, and the following part should be slower. The end of the slow movement has some very atmospheric, atonal-sounding stuff which sounds prosaic here IMO.

I will fish out the Mata recording tonight, though I don't recall that one as expecially persuasive either.

I wonder if anyone has heard and reviewed all the available recorded versions? The reviews on Amazon are useless: they either rave about how "this is the most American-sounding American symphony ever written by an American composer, composing in America! Awesome!" - or else they rave about how great the recording sounds on their hi-fi system (with specs), as though that's all anyone could possibly want to know before purchase.

I think these are all the recordings:

Bernstein Sony
Bernstein DG
Mata
Slatkin
Judd
Jarvi
Levi
Oue
Robert Tomaro [MMC label]
Copland (only one recording?)

I've actually listened to many of them, but never at the same time to compare (as I only own one). In general (of those I heard), I would characterize most of them as being pretty good. At least, that is what I think I remember.

[eyeresist]

I've been listening to the EMI Gemini set which includes the 3rd symphony conducted by Mata. I did enjoy the Mata, and think it superior to Bernstein. I don't much care for the music on disc 2, except for Quiet City.

[vandermolen]

I listened to Bernstein's first recording of the 3rd last night, and was once again unimpressed (I'm generally not a Lenny fan). I don't think he characterises the episodes as individually as he should, e.g. the first part of the scherzo isn't driven enough, and the following part should be slower. The end of the slow movement has some very atmospheric, atonal-sounding stuff which sounds prosaic here IMO.

I will fish out the Mata recording tonight, though I don't recall that one as expecially persuasive either.

I wonder if anyone has heard and reviewed all the available recorded versions? The reviews on Amazon are useless: they either rave about how "this is the most American-sounding American symphony ever written by an American composer, composing in America! Awesome!" - or else they rave about how great the recording sounds on their hi-fi system (with specs), as though that's all anyone could possibly want to know before purchase.

I think these are all the recordings:

Bernstein Sony
Bernstein DG
Mata
Slatkin
Judd
Jarvi
Levi
Oue
Robert Tomaro [MMC label]
Copland (only one recording?)

I think that I have about all of them.  Copland recorded it twice (Everest and Sony - both with London orchestras).  I like both recordings, but some find them understated (certainly compared with Bernstein!) I especially like the earlier one which was recently (in the UK at least) reissued with Billy the Kid, dirt cheap on the Everest label.  I don't like the earlier Bernstein either and much prefer both Copland versions.  As to my favourites, I like the ones by Mata and Slatkin (saw him conduct it at the Proms - it was great) - the later DGG Bernstein is good and both Copland versions.

The first LP recording was very highly rated - Dorati and the Mineapolis SO. It was never on CD but I pestered a company who do private copies of stuff not available to issue it - which they did (I even get a mention in the blurb). The recording (early-mid 50s I guess) is direct from an LP and is a bit constricted, but the performance is great - here is the link.

http://www.bearacreissues.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=286&category_id=1&keyword=copland&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=12

[eyeresist]

Thanks, vandermolen. I wonder if you have any knowledge of the recording by Oue? I've read it described as "unusual", but don't know what that might mean exactly.