copland...

Posted by: ken c on 30 January 2002

i wasnt sure where to put this posting as it straddles 2 threads.

i have been looking for "fanfare for the common man" for a while after having been told by my local record shop that it was deleted?

last friday,i found a naxos copy by the Czechosolvak Radio Symphony Orchestra -- i wasnt expecting much as i was looking for a "proper" recording.

well, i was not prepared for what i heard when i played it. those who know this record will understand what i mean. those kettle drums!! not just the explosive sound, but the TUNE!!!

its at times like these that one feels very satisfied with one's investment in this mad hobby called hifi. and why upgrade?

any more good copland's around??

enjoy

ken

Posted on: 30 January 2002 by herm

copland a plenty

Hi Ken,

there's a profusion of great Copland recordings. A very recent issue, that has been very well received is by Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Fran Symphony. It's on RCA.

First it was two seperate issues: "Copland: The Populist" with the very familiar "Appalachian Spring" and "Rodeo" and "Billy the Kid"; the other disc was "Copland: The Modernist", with a bunch of not so illustratively titled works, such as the "Orchestral Variations" (Of course, Appalachian Spring are symphonic variations too.)

Later they've been put in a box, including a disc with an interview with MTThomas.

I have the two seperate issues and I like 'em a lot.

And, obviously Leonard Bernstein recorded many Copland works. They used to be, er, very close.

Herm

PS: you do want to have Copland's Clarinet Concerto.

Posted on: 30 January 2002 by Giles Felgate

I'm not sure if it's still available, so you may have to look in the second hand shops, but Sony released in the late 80's a three disk collection of Copland conducting his own works Catalogue number SM3K 46559. This covers pretty much all the recordings mentioned above, Symphony 3, Fanfare, Appalachian Spring, Rodeo, Clarinet Concerto (with Benny Goodman!) etc. It also has a lot of his dance and film music and Lincoln Portrait, a spoken word piece with Henry Fonda. The recording quality is excellent and if you can find this you won't want any other Copland!

Giles

Posted on: 30 January 2002 by ken c

herm, nick and giles:

many thanks for additional recommendations on copland. i will definitely be following these up -- and will let you know. likely that i will but one or two more --

enjoy

ken