Bernstein Century - Copland: Appalachian Spring, Rodeo, etc / Bernstein, New York PO Music

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by: Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein

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Customer Reviews
Average Rating: Rating: - US innocence in full bloom At their best no more "American Music" than Mozart or Dvorak are "European Music", Copland's mid-century masterpieces find their lushest expression in Bernstein's recording. Fanfare for the Common Man is today such a TV-sports section cliche that you have to listen carefully to appreciate it; Bernstein and his orchestra, playing in 1966, just let it rip. "Billy the Kid" and "Rodeo" both benefit from extraordinarily clear and precise renderings. Bernstein pushes too fast through the latter's "Hoe-Down", but the "Corral Nocturne" is a langurous delight. But the real treasure of this album is, of course, Appalachian Spring. When at age sixteen I first heard the opening three minutes of the piece, I determined to hunt it down. When I heard the first two movements together, I cried. Nothing describes the United States' desire for innocence and its ambition for good as perfectly as the 27 minutes of Copland's Pulitzer Prize-winning score. And no-one has matched the playing of the New York Philharmonic that day in Manhattan in 1961. These works have long been consigned to a sort of ghetto for "frontier pieces". They're far more than that. Rating: - "The Best We've Got, You Know" Leonard Bernstein said of Aaron Copland's music, "It's the best we've got, you know." I would say that this is especially true about Bernstein's recordings of Copland's music. Bernstein brings out everything that is in the music. Whether it is a a shaker hymn, a folksy waltz, a whirling hoedown, or a majestic fanfare, and whether it is jubilant, mournful, agitated, or peaceful, Bernstein plays it with unparalleled quality and expression. This disc also has a fine selection of Copland's music; the three populalr ballet suites, "Billy the Kid," "Rodeo," and "Appalachian Spring," as well as an excellent arrangement of his famous "Fanfare for the Common Man." This is Copland at his finest, and it is fitting that so great a composer as Aaron Copland should have the seminal recordings of his finest works directed by such a conductor as the great Leonard Bernstein. Rating: - Copland at its best This is a recording of some of Copland's more popular pieces, which the New York Philharmonic masterfully performs. They do their usual bang up job performing Copland like none other. And they're led by none other than the great Leonard Bernstein, whose great love for the music intensifies the group's performance. The CD quality is also really good. This as good as it gets without actually being there live. One might not be able to pick up all the raw emotion that the performers give off while performing, but that wont stop you from getting Goosebumps when you hear the intro the "Fanfare to the Common Man". This recording also has some of the best recordings of "Appalachian Spring," "Rodeo," and the "Billy the Kid: Ballet Suite" that I have ever heard. The crispness and clearness of the orchestra adds to the already fantastic music being performed. This is arguably one of the best recordings of these pieces and the orchestra and a CD I'm glad that I have in my collection. I recommend it to anyone without hesitation. If you don't have this in your collection, then you truly are missing out.

Bernstein Century - Copland: Appalachian Spring, Rodeo, etc / Bernstein, New York PO Music

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