Search - Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein, New York Philharmonic :: Copland: Rodeo/Billy The Kid

Copland: Rodeo/Billy The Kid
Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein, New York Philharmonic
Copland: Rodeo/Billy The Kid
Genre: Classical
 
  •  Track Listings (12) - Disc #1

If Copland's own recordings of his music have the warmth of a soft summer night, those by Leonard Bernstein convey the blazing heat of noon. In his later remakes of several of these scores for Deutsche Grammophon, Bernstei...  more »

     
?

Larger Image

CD Details

All Artists: Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein, New York Philharmonic
Title: Copland: Rodeo/Billy The Kid
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: Sony
Release Date: 10/25/1990
Genre: Classical
Styles: Ballets & Dances, Ballets, Historical Periods, Modern, 20th, & 21st Century
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 074643672726

Synopsis

Amazon.com
If Copland's own recordings of his music have the warmth of a soft summer night, those by Leonard Bernstein convey the blazing heat of noon. In his later remakes of several of these scores for Deutsche Grammophon, Bernstein exhibited a tendency toward overly-nuanced readings. But his earlier accounts with the New York Philharmonic, recorded by CBS in the late 1950s and early 1960s, are still incomparable in their vitality and impetus. Bernstein's way with the Western ballets is exuberantly personal and persuasive. He has the ability to move between delicacy and brashness, always getting the gestures right, and he delivers magical characterizations of both scores. The Phiharmonic's playing, while sometimes a bit raw, is confident and rhythmically secure; there is certainly nothing to apologize for here. There is a wonderful sense of immediacy to Bernstein's account of the Appalachian Spring Suite, in which the New Yorkers give a virtuosic account of themselves, playing in a rhythmically incisive fashion that puts Copland's account with the London Symphony in the shadows. The couplings are a mixed bag, however. Bernstein always had the measure of El Salon Mexico, and gives a rousing account of it here. But the so-called Fanfare for the Common Man is lifted from his recording of the Third Symphony; its beginning is not the same as that of the real fanfare. Both recordings have been wonderfully remastered by their original producer, John McClure, and have excellent presence and a palpable sense of atmosphere in the quiet pages. --Ted Libbey

Similar CDs


Similarly Requested CDs

 

CD Reviews

Incomparable!
09/01/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)

"No one else has come close to Bernstein's accounts Copland's music- including Copland himself. In every respect, this is best recording of Rodeo I've heard. The tempos are, if anything, a bit on the fast side of average. The recording quality is quite good, though the woodwinds can be a bit too quiet."
For Rodeo alone, this beats the competition hands down
Alan Majeska | Bad Axe, MI, USA | 10/07/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Leonard Bernstein's Columbia recording of Copland's "Rodeo" with the New York Philharmonic, made in 1960 still beats the competition hands down for sheer excitement and power. Lenny's "Buckaroo Holiday" (I) is wonderful: very fast and spirited, and no holes barred, like riding a bucking bronco. When I first heard this recording on LP in 1974, I could hardly restrain myself, as it is not only fast, but well accented, and the recording really backs up what Bernstein was trying to do in this piece. Tempos are all sensible, but fast where needed, especially in I and IV, "Hoe down." I have heard other recordings: Dorati/Detroit (London), Johanos/Dallas (Vox), Abravanel/Utah (MCA), and they all have their merits, but for sheer excitement, Bernstein is the best to have.



"Billy the Kid", recorded in 1959, is also well recorded and performed. Bernstein's tempos are sensible, and he does alot with the crescendos and repeats in the final movement, "The Open Prairie" to make it more interesting than some conductors do. I also like recordings of this work by James Judd/New Zealand Symphony (Naxos), Johanos/Dallas (Vox) and Dorati/London Symphony (Philips Mercury - more than just the suite recorded here), but again Bernstein is very fine in comparison with any of them, although he doesn't stand out as much as with "Rodeo."



Recommended, either in this recording, or the Bernstein Century edition, also on Sony Classical, which also includes Bernstein/New York Philharmonic's 1961 Columbia recording of "Appalachian Spring.""
Vinyl replacement
Anne Greeson | Long Beach CA | 01/07/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Loved the music on vinyl and want it on CD. Sounds as good as the original only without the scratches."