Track Listing

1. Appalachian Spring, ballet for 13 instruments: Very slowly
2. Appalachian Spring, ballet for 13 instruments: Allegro
3. Appalachian Spring, ballet for 13 instruments: Moderato
4. Appalachian Spring, ballet for 13 instruments: Fast
5. Appalachian Spring, ballet for 13 instruments: Subito allegro
6. Appalachian Spring, ballet for 13 instruments: Meno mosso; As at first (slowly)
7. Appalachian Spring, ballet for 13 instruments: Doppio movimento
8. Appalachian Spring, ballet for 13 instruments: Rather slow
9. Appalachian Spring, ballet for 13 instruments: Very deliberate
10. Appalachian Spring, ballet for 13 instruments: Poco pi� mosso
11. Appalachian Spring, ballet for 13 instruments: A trifle slower
12. Appalachian Spring, ballet for 13 instruments: Molto allegro ed agitato
13. Appalachian Spring, ballet for 13 instruments: Broadly
14. Appalachian Spring, ballet for 13 instruments: Moderato (like a prayer)
15. Lincoln Portrait, for speaker & orchestra: Lento
16. Lincoln Portrait, for speaker & orchestra: Subito allegro
17. Lincoln Portrait, for speaker & orchestra: "Fellow citizens, we cannot escape history..."
18. Billy the Kid, orchestral suite from the ballet: Introduction: The Open Prairie
19. Billy the Kid, orchestral suite from the ballet: Street in a Frontier Town
20. Billy the Kid, orchestral suite from the ballet: Prairie Night (Card Game at Night)
21. Billy the Kid, orchestral suite from the ballet: Gun Battle
22. Billy the Kid, orchestral suite from the ballet: Celebration (After Billy's Capture)
23. Billy the Kid, orchestral suite from the ballet: Billy's Death
24. Billy the Kid, orchestral suite from the ballet: The Open Prairie Again

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #113853 in Music
• Brand: Sony
• Released on: 1990-10-25
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .22 pounds

Amazon.com
Although it has come to be much better known in Copland's arrangement for full orchestra, Appalachian Spring was originally composed for a chamber-sized complement of 13 instruments, the maximum that would fit in front of the stage at the Coolidge Auditorium in the Library of Congress, where Martha Graham's company gave the premiere of the ballet in 1944. Many listeners prefer the more vibrant and homespun sound of this original version, with its intimate expressiveness, to the splashiness and color of Copland's rescoring, brilliant as it is. Here, Copland conducts a hand-picked group of New York freelancers in what must be counted a definitive performance. The playing is energetic and expressive, the sentiment deep but not too sweet. Copland's 1968 account of his Lincoln Portrait, with Henry Fonda as narrator, and 1969 reading of the suite from Billy the Kid round out the disc most satisfactorily. All three recordings are remarkably vivid. --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews

Best versions of Appalachian Spring /Billy the Kid!
If I had to choose one Copland album over all others in my collection, this would be the one!
When I purchased this cd many years ago, I hadn't realized at the time that this was the original, longer version of "Appalachian Spring" for chamber orchestra until I first played it, and it totally took me by surprise - what a revelation! It's become both my favorite version and recording of this piece.

The orchestration in "A Lincoln Portrait" is superb, and although the late Henry Fonda's reading does have a certain, peculiar quality to it, it's a vast improvement over the sound of the vinyl.

The "Billy the Kid" suite is absolutely thunderous and intensely psychotic, the BEST version ever recorded, IMHO, with the opening tympani beats guaranteed to shake your speakers and sub-woofers and the house along with it.

The original Appalachian Spring
This CD contains the intimate, beautiful and original version of Copland's classic Appalachian Spring. Copland first wrote the piece for a small ensemble and the delicate interplay of the piano and strings is wonderous. By contrast, the more commonly heard orchestral versions of Appalachian Spring drown out some of the true and simple pleasures of the music.

Wonderful!
This was my first exposure to Copland. Copland is the quintessential American composer. His compositions are some of my favorites. As for this verson, Henry Fonda is by far the best orator for The Lincoln Portrait. James Earl Jones comes a close second. If you enjoy good music, you will enjoy this album.