A handful of Aaron Copland’s works may be firmly established in the orchestral repertory, but much of his music seems strangely unfashionable now, only rarely turning up in concerts on this side of the Atlantic. But there are signs a revival is under way, at least on disc. Naxos has begun a series devoted to Copland’s ballets – the latest release pairs Appalachian Spring with the rarely heard Hear Ye! Hear Ye! This CD is the second instalment of a more extensive survey of the orchestral music from Chandos. John Wilson launched it earlier this year with a disc of the popular ballets, but this collection focuses on grittier, abstract works, with nothing conventionally symphonic, and all originating in the early part of Copland’s long career.
The Orchestral Variations were completed in 1957, but they are effectively an orchestral arrangement of the Piano Variations, one of Copland’s most uncompromisingly modernist works from 1930. Like everything else here they stand up well, but it’s the Organ Symphony of 1924 and the Short Symphony, completed 10 years later, that make the strongest impression – the organ work for the tactful way in which Copland manages to integrate the solo instrument with the orchestra, a partnership that can so easily become far too much of a good thing, and the Short Symphony for its bracing combination of exuberant energy and cool, convincing musical logic.
But Wilson and the orchestra should take much of the credit for the way in which these pieces emerge so vividly. Everything about the performances signals a conductor and an orchestra who really believe in the quality of the music they are performing. The BBC Philharmonic seems to relish Copland’s springy rhythms, long-limbed melodies and irrepressible invention, while Wilson manages to bring transparency and buoyancy to even the most massive climaxes. The sound is outstanding, too. The Organ Symphony was recorded in Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall, with the soloist Jonathan Scott playing the hall’s Marcussen instrument, while the other works come from the BBC’s Salford studios, with a closer, less airy balance. Both are equally convincing.
