Aaron Copland (1900-1990)

Composer of the Week Podcast vor 7 Monaten

Donald Macleod explores Copland’s quest for an American sound.

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This week, Donald Macleod explores the life and music of Aaron
Copland, one of the most distinctive voices in 20th-century
American music. From his Brooklyn childhood and formative studies
in Paris to his return home with bold new ideas, Copland’s career
charts a path through modernism, jazz, and the search for an
unmistakably American sound. We hear music that captures the
spirit of a nation – from Billy the Kid and Lincoln Portrait to
his Fanfare for the Common Man, before he made the move from
composer to conductor.

Music featured includes: 4 Dance Episodes from Rodeo: iv. Hoe
Down Two Preludes for violin and piano Four Early Songs: i.
Night; ii. A Summer Vacation; iii. My Heart is in the East; iv.
Alone Four Motets: iii. Have Mercy on Us, O My Lord Three Moods:
i. Embittered; ii. Wistful; iii. Jazzy Symphony for Organ and
Orchestra: ii. Scherzo; iii. Finale: Lento The Cat and the Mouse
Old Poem; Pastorale Music for the Theater: i. Prologue; ii. Dance
Piano Concerto Vitebsk (trio for violin, cello and piano) Hear
Ye! Hear Ye! – ballet in one act: Scene i (Prelude) Piano
Variations Short Symphony (Symphony No. 2): i. Incisivo; ii.
Espressivo; iii. Presto e ritmico El Salón México Billy the Kid
Suite: i. Introduction: The Open Prairie; ii. Street in a
Frontier Town; iii. Mexican Dance and Finale Letter from Home
Appalachian Spring Suite: v. Solo Dance; vi. Meno mosso; vii.
Variation on a Shaker Hymn Clarinet Concerto Lincoln Portrait
Fanfare for the Common Man Two Pieces for String Quartet: No. 2.
Allegro Moderato Piano Quartet: iii. Non troppo lento Music for a
Great City: i. Skyline

Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Elizabeth Ajao for BBC
Audio Wales & West

For full track listings, including artist and recording details,
and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after
broadcast) head to the series page for Aaron Copland (1900-1990):
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002p75g

And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve
featured on Composer of the Week here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z