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Rating: WHERE DOES AMERICAN NATIONAL MUSIC BELONG? The populist classicism of Copland does not convince me
The interest of this album, which collects four works of the New York composer Aaron Copland, is to witness the attempt (around the 1930s) to establish a national variant of American academic music capable of combining “classical” forms and styles with the inspiring motifs of local musical folklore. Not that it was an absolute novelty since the wind of musical nationalisms was also blowing strongly in Europe in those years (I think of Bartók's work and those earlier by Dvořák and Smetana), but it certainly was in the American context. Considering that the cultural leadership would soon shift from the old to the new continent, as happened from the 1950s onwards, how should we regard this first taste (western cowboy melodies or the Mexican frontier plus a sprinkle of ragtime framed in the European forms of a symphony or ballet) of American musical populism? Certainly interesting from a historical point of view, much less – at least for me – from the emotional one. Let's go in order. The notes of the accompanying booklet provide an excellent listening guide, and the cover photo could not be more iconic to stimulate our cinematic imagination, besides visually matching the “Outdoor Overture” that opens the disc. Andrew Litton's direction for the Colorado Symphony Orchestra has its proper brilliance, and Litton adds his enjoyable performance as a honky-tonk pianist in the central part of “Rodeo,” but it is precisely Aaron Copland's music that does not convince me. I listen and remain indifferent; my ears aren't hurt, but my heart isn't racing either. Perhaps listening to music for a ballet without seeing the ballet means you are already at a disadvantage! Of the two ballets on this disc, “Billy The Kid” is the most disappointing, perhaps because it is divided into as many as eleven “movements,” all (except one) rather short, so I always have the impression of listening to a fragment of a musical idea that never manages to develop. Things go a bit better in the second ballet – “Rodeo” – which has five movements, each of a reasonable length and enlivened by more explicit “national” quotes (the ragtime piano mentioned above and then some western folk tunes leading up to the final quadrille). The two suites remain, which can be appreciated: the initial and sparkling (though slightly pompous) “Outdoor Overture” and the evocative “El Salón México,” which assimilates Mexican folklore without excessive coloristic effects. In short, overall, an album of good music but one that does not warm my spirit and, for me, leans more towards Hollywood (film music) or Broadway (the musical) than pursuing the ambition to build a new parameter of genuinely popular American music on “academic” bases. Which indeed already exists (and existed even at the time of these compositions) and takes the form of jazz-blues. This album is recommended for those who still have doubts and then want to compare with Duke Ellington. For those who, on the other hand, want to consider another viewpoint on the music of Aaron Copland first, there is already a nearly parallel review on this site by Grasshopper, beautiful and interesting: the debate is open.
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