Copland / Bbc Philharmonic Orchestra / Wilson - Copland: Orchestral Works, Vol. 1 - SUPER-AUDIO CD [Super Audio CD (SACD)]

The exploration by John Wilson of Copland's major orchestral output with the BBC Philharmonic has now reached Volume 3, with this invigorating programme recorded in surround-sound. It opens with An Outdoor Overture, a cheerful and breezy piece which Copland composed in 1938, intending to spearhead an initiative encouraging 'American Music for American Youth'. Originally written for organ and orchestra, the First Symphony is presented here in it's revised version (1926-28) for large orchestra. The six concise movements of Statements (1932-35) introduce a new style, their gritty soundscapes being stunning examples of what Copland later would refer to as 'hard-bitten' pieces. The concluding work is the expressive, fantastical Dance Symphony (1929) which explores different styles of symphonic movements, it's dark aura a residue of it's origin as a ballet on a grotesque vampire theme, composed 1922-25 and named Grohg. The symphony has remained a highly controversial piece ever since.

Stevenson Winds - Blow the Wind Northerly [COMPACT DISCS] date 03/05/2013

I hope you will knuckle down to a good symphony, wrote Samuel Barber in September 1944 to his fellow composer Aaron Copland InchWe deserve it of you, and your career is all set for it.Inch It was a strange thing to say given that Copland had already composed a variety of symphonies, albeit admittedly all more experimental than Barber might have preferred. The fourth volume in the highly acclaimed Copland series from John Wilson and the BBC Philharmonic opens with the resoundingly successful Symphony No. 3 (1944-46). The optimistic spirit of this work resonated perfectly with the euphoria of post-war America, resulting in it's becoming an emblem of US nationalism. This lesser-recorded original version comes complete with the twelve bars which Bernstein later suggested cutting from the fourth movement. Three commissions complement the symphony 'Letter from Home' (1944) reflects the feelings of receiving a letter from a loved on. 'Down a Country Lane' (originally commissioned by Life magazine as a solo piano work) is here performed in it's orchestral version (1964), reimagined for a series of concerts showcasing youth orchestras. 'Connotations' (1962), a twelve-note serial composition premiered by Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic at the inauguration of The Philharmonic Hall, complete this invigorating surround-sound album.