Thankfully this isn’t
the umpteenth recording of Appalachian
Spring but a collection of lesser-known
Copland. As always this music is quintessentially
American, the suite from his opera
The Tender Land, the bluesy
piano concerto and the Old American
Songs, the latter in choral
arrangements. Appropriately enough
the orchestra is the Illinois-based
Elgin Symphony, which has embarked
on an ambitious project called
In Search of Our American Voice. Helping
them in this endeavour are the St.
Charles Singers, a multi-talented
chamber choir founded in 1984.
Speaking of voices,
Copland has a unique, instantly recognisable
‘voice’ of his own and that is clear
from the first bars of The Tender
Land suite. In his illuminating
liner-notes Joseph Horowitz reminds
us that although this has a Depression-era
rural setting one could argue that,
in part at least, it’s also Copland’s
response to the McCarthyist witch
hunt of the 1950s.
Interestingly the
suite, arranged after the opera’s
premiere in 1954, starts with the
introduction to Act 3 and the love
duet between the farm girl Laurie
Moss and her drifter beau, Martin.
The second movement is based on the
party in Act II and the final movement
comes from the quintet,’ ‘The Promise
of Living’, at the end of Act I.
Whatever Copland’s
intentions the music is not far removed
from the Pennsylvanian hills of Appalachia,
with its open, unpretentious scoring.
The usual epithets ‘folksy’ and ‘homespun’
apply but there is also a degree of
disquiet reflected in the brass at
the start of this movement. The ensuing
harp melodies are most affecting in
their simplicity and directness, Robert
Hanson securing warm, idiomatic playing
from his orchestra.
The recording is
clear and detailed, notably in the
vigorous party music, and there’s
no sign of strain or grain in the
climaxes. Indeed, it’s an almost perfect
acoustic for such a lucid score, the
surging music of the last movement
lovingly shaped and projected. This
is vintage Copland and hearing this
music may spur you to try the opera
itself.
Horowitz makes the
point that Copland’s piano concerto
was somewhat eclipsed by Gershwin’s
much better known effort, written
the year before. It doesn’t have the
latter’s Broadway-inspired razzamatazz
but what it does have is a
more sophisticated, cosmopolitan feel
to it. The insouciant, bluesy first
movement – introduced with the usual
fanfare – has the pianist doodling
quietly at the keyboard. Benjamin
Pasternack captures the languor of
this movement very well indeed, the
piano ideally placed and faithfully
recorded. Copland’s detailed scoring
is wonderfully realised too, the more
expansive moments thrillingly intense
but never overheated.
The doodler is back
in the second movement, his random
notes followed by raucous music that
has a real swing to it. The drums
and percussion are certainly reminiscent
of Gershwin but there is a fresh,
individual quality to this concerto.
Pasternack is suitably foot-stompin’
in those repeated jazzy phrases and
the Elgin players give him wonderful
support throughout. But it’s the final
minute or so that’s the real tour
de force, with the splendid percussion
chasing the pianist all the way to
the finish line.
This is exhilarating
stuff and quite possibly the most
enjoyable item on the disc – go on,
give it another whirl – so the choral
arrangements of the Old American
Songs needs to be pretty special
to top that. Most listeners probably
know these pieces in their original
scoring for voice and piano; if that’s
the version you want do try Willard
White on Chandos CHAN 8960.
Alas, first impressions
of the choral arrangements aren’t
very encouraging, baritone Nathaniel
Stampley’s rather wide vibrato spoiling
‘The Boatmen’s Dance’. The St. Charles
singers are another matter entirely;
they are clear and nimble and, to
be fair, Stampley does improve in
‘The Dodger’. Those who have heard
Willard White in this repertoire will
know just how much character and personality
he brings to bear in these songs.
Well worth seeking out.
The Elgin Symphony
is never less than excellent and the
chorus sing eloquently in the ballad
‘Long Time Ago’. Diction could be
clearer but with such heartfelt singing
it seems churlish to complain. And
then there’s ‘Simple Gifts’, the Shaker
hymn we know from Appalachian Spring,
essayed here with a wonderful sense
of innocence and optimism. They even
manage the farmyard onomatopoeia of
’I Bought Me a Cat’ which, if you
don’t mind this kind of silliness,
will probably put a smile on your
face.
Really it’s the chorus
that makes these arrangements stand
out; their bright, focused sound is
invariably pleasing, even if the music
doesn’t always sound like Copland.
They are also suitably impassioned
– febrile, even – in the Revivalist
hymn ‘Zion’s Walls’. Then Stampley
and tenor Jeffrey Hunt join them for
a spirited rendition of ’The Golden
Willow Tree’. Both soloists acquit
themselves well here and for once
the quirky orchestration actually
sounds like authentic Copland.
Of the two remaining
songs the hymn tune ‘At The River’
could have been penned by Charles
Ives, such is its mix of devotional
text and strange harmonies. Hanson
and his band bring this music to a
stirring close before launching into
the utterly delightful ‘Ching-a-ring
Chaw’. If you haven’t smiled so far
then this will surely do the trick,
the singing and playing pin-sharp
and full of fun. An upbeat finale
to an enchanting disc.
Minor caveats about
the baritone aside this is another
collection of American classics that
deserves the highest praise. With
exemplary playing, singing and an
acoustic to match this is plainly
indispensable. And the song texts
are included as well, which is a welcome
bonus. Buy it and enjoy.
Dan Morgan