The three great ballet scores written by Copland in the 1930s and ’40s—Billy the Kid, Appalachian Spring, and Rodeo—turned the founding folk-myths of America into dance, establishing a soundworld that would pass to Hollywood. And though the personnel on this recording are all Brits, they recreate that soundworld on convincing terms. Conductor John Wilson has a gut feeling for the repertoire and takes it seriously, with loving care that never cramps the music’s style—everything heard here comes with panache as well as chiseled clarity. It includes two classic scores from the same era as the ballet suites: the Fanfare for the Common Man, and the exuberant El Salón México—almost a ballet but more truly a symphonic take on Latin dances, with the vibrant colors of the South.
- Sir Simon Rattle & City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
- Rumon Gamba & BBC National Orchestra of Wales
- Iván Fischer & Budapest Festival Orchestra
- André Navarra, Sir John Barbirolli & Hallé
- Edward Gardner, BBC Symphony Orchestra & Tasmin Little
- Michele Zukovsky & Los Angeles Philharmonic
- BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, George McPhee, Lynda Russell, Martyn Brabbins, Michael Volle & Scottish Festival Chorus