Aaron Copland - Symphonies (Marin Alsop)

Information

Composer: Aaron Copland

• Symphony No. 1
• Symphony No. 2 "Short Symphony"
• Dance Symphony

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra

Marin Alsop, conductor

Date: 2008

Label: Naxos

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Review

All of these works predate Aaron Copland’s populist American ballets, but they reveal perhaps even more tellingly just what a talented and individual voice he had right from the start. The most important piece here is the Short Symphony (a.k.a. Symphony No. 2), a stunning essay in rhythmic lyricism that was considered all but unplayable when written in 1933–so much so that Copland rewrote it as a sextet. This performance hasn’t quite the sharpness and sizzle of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra recording for DG, but the Bournemouth Symphony under Marin Alsop shows itself more than capable of mastering the music’s intricacies.

The other two performances are even finer. Alsop catches the bittersweet lyricism of the First Symphony’s outer movements very affectingly, while the whirlwind central scherzo is dazzling. The same observation holds true of the Dance Symphony, which works its way to a fine frenzy in a finale that strikingly anticipates the mature composer of the 1940s. Copland’s bright, open textures come across well in the problematic acoustic of the Poole concert hall; this is one of Naxos’ better recordings from this locale, graced with some really impressive bass sonorities. This is an intelligently planned and impressively executed disc.

— David Hurwitz

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Aaron Copland (14 November 1900 – 2 December 1990) was an American composer. Born in New York City, he studied in Paris with Nadia Boulanger before returning to the United States, where he absorbed influences ranging from jazz and neoclassicism to folk traditions. Seeking a broader audience, Copland simplified his musical language in the 1930s and achieved international fame with works such as Billy the Kid, Rodeo and Appalachian Spring. He also composed film scores, orchestral and choral works, and later experimented with serialism. Beyond composing, Copland was an influential teacher, writer and conductor.

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Marin Alsop (born 16 October 1956) is an American conductor best known as the first woman to lead a major American orchestra, serving as music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra from 2007 to 2021. Alsop has also held leading posts with orchestras in the U.S., Europe and Brazil. Raised by musician parents, she trained as a violinist at Juilliard before turning to conducting, studying with Leonard Bernstein and Seiji Ozawa. Renowned for championing American and contemporary music, she has earned numerous awards, including Gramophone's Artist of the Year (2003) and a MacArthur Fellowship.

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