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Copland conducts Copland
Aaron Copland, Helmuth Kolbe, London Symphony Orchestra
Copland conducts Copland
Genres: Special Interest, Classical
 
Although it has come to be much better known in Copland's arrangement for full orchestra, Appalachian Spring was originally composed for a chamber-sized complement of 13 instruments, the maximum that would fit in front of...  more »

     
   
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CD Details

All Artists: Aaron Copland, Helmuth Kolbe, London Symphony Orchestra, Paul Jacobs
Title: Copland conducts Copland
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 3
Label: Sony
Release Date: 10/25/1990
Genres: Special Interest, Classical
Styles: Ballets & Dances, Ballets, Historical Periods, Modern, 20th, & 21st Century
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPCs: 074644243123, 074644243123

Synopsis

Amazon.com
Although it has come to be much better known in Copland's arrangement for full orchestra, Appalachian Spring was originally composed for a chamber-sized complement of 13 instruments, the maximum that would fit in front of the stage at the Coolidge Auditorium in the Library of Congress, where Martha Graham's company gave the premiere of the ballet in 1944. Many listeners prefer the more vibrant and homespun sound of this original version, with its intimate expressiveness, to the splashiness and color of Copland's rescoring, brilliant as it is. Here, Copland conducts a hand-picked group of New York freelancers in what must be counted a definitive performance. The playing is energetic and expressive, the sentiment deep but not too sweet. Copland's 1968 account of his Lincoln Portrait, with Henry Fonda as narrator, and 1969 reading of the suite from Billy the Kid round out the disc most satisfactorily. All three recordings are remarkably vivid. --Ted Libbey

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CD Reviews

Best versions of Appalachian Spring /Billy the Kid!
F. Jones | 02/14/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)

"If I had to choose one Copland album over all others in my collection, this would be the one!
When I purchased this cd many years ago, I hadn't realized at the time that this was the original, longer version of "Appalachian Spring" for chamber orchestra until I first played it, and it totally took me by surprise - what a revelation! It's become both my favorite version and recording of this piece. The orchestration in "A Lincoln Portrait" is superb, and although the late Henry Fonda's reading does have a certain, peculiar quality to it, it's a vast improvement over the sound of the vinyl.The "Billy the Kid" suite is absolutely thunderous and intensely psychotic, the BEST version ever recorded, IMHO, with the opening tympani beats guaranteed to shake your speakers and sub-woofers and the house along with it."
Henry Fonda's Reading of Lincoln Portrait.....
Yosemite Sam | Reno-Tahoe | 12/16/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)

".....alone makes this cd worth the price. This may say more about me than I like, but I own several versions of Appalachian Spring. It was worth adding one more to the collection just so I could get my hands on Henry Fonda's reading of the Lincoln Portrait. I've listened to almost all of them but this one best captures Lincoln's decency and moral stature. Fonda reads it with great emotion and warmth. When you really want to understand the best of American values this is the place to start."