Just a couple of caveats, though. If you want the COMPLETE ballets for Appalachian Spring, Rodeo, and Billy the Kid, you will NOT find them here. These are the suites. For the complete Appalachian Spring (all 36 minutes in one track), I recommend Michael Tilson Thomas' version on a CD with the San Francisco Symphony called The Populist. And for complete versions of the other two, you need look no further than Leonard Slatkin's recordings with the St. Louis Symphony.

And then three more notes on the playing. The timpani player did an incredible job on this Bernstein Century recording; he consistently played the heck out the ample parts he got in all four pieces. This is one of the best features of the disc (I mean, you've gotta have good timpani for the Gun Battle in Billy the Kid, and here he does!)

Secondly, take particular note that the version of Fanfare for the Common Man is NOT the original. It is Copland's rescoring for his third symphony (which is also great in its own right). If you want the real original version, the best you can find features Copland himself conducting the London Symphony Orchestra, released on various other CDs on the Sony label, including a 36-minute "EP" called Aaron Copland Super Hits. If you do happen to buy that CD, note that it is mostly chopped up excerpts. However, the readings of El Salon Mexico and Fanfare make it worth the purchase price.

Thirdly and finally, I expected some sheer grandioso from the Variations on a Shaker Tune (Simple Gifts), which happens to be track seven on this recording. While Bernstein's reading is balanced and polished, this is the one place where he really should've played it up but didn't. Incidentally, Michael Tilson Thomas DOES play it up on his version of the complete ballet that I mentioned previously, really getting the low brass to ripple and rumble. It's very satisfying at high volume.

Please don't misconstrue these warnings to be negative. If you're getting a start in Copland's most popular repertoire, this Bernstein Century CD is the ONLY place to start. I just caution you that if you don't move on the other recordings as well, you are really missing the whole picture.


Not enough superlatives to describe this gem of a disc.   May 30, 2000
 50 out of 50 found this review helpful

There are many recordings I have heard of these classic Copland works, conducted by such luminaries as Zubin Mehta, Donald Johanos, Morton Gould, even Eugene Ormandy. But none of these conductors knew the music of Aaron Copland better than his friend of 53 years, Leonard Bernstein, who Copland many times said conducted his music as if he had written it himself. No disc displays the tenderness and vivacity of Copland's Americana better than Bernstein and the Philharmonic's sensational performances of "Appalachian Spring," "Rodeo," and "Billy the Kid." These are works I know by heart, but it takes some doing for specific performances to make me emotional, and the fading last strains of "Appalachian" did it on my first listening test. The sound quality is top-notch, even for these recordings from 1959-1961. Look no further than Bernstein - who knew Copland better than anyone else - to deliver the finest recordings of these works ever. This is America at its most beautiful and exuberant. Do yourself a favor and start your collection of American music here.


Easily the best Copland pieces and conductor   April 20, 2000
 36 out of 37 found this review helpful

I've owned this CD since before its rerelease as part of the "Bernstein Century" series and have always treasured it. There are who-knows-how-many Copland recordings out there and I can honestly say this is the best I've yet heard. Although my musical taste hasn't always gravitated toward this sort of music, there's an unmistakable sincerity in Copland that speaks to me as an American and a lover of both folk and art music... is there any moment in all classical music history quite like the inception of "The Gift to Be Simple" in Appalachian Spring? Copland is never sappy, and can be quite muscular and rhythmically charged as much as lyrical and folksy. And Bernstein, a composer in this American tradition himself (arguably in some repertoire a true disciple of Copland), is the right conductor for these pieces. I'm still amazed at what a strong and yet immmediately comprehensible piece "Billy the Kid" is, equal to Appalachian Spring... Rodeo is also a delight. If you don't already have this one, I'd pick it up for this very reasonable discounted price and check out some of the late piano repertoire of Copland while you're at it too. It's easy to see here why Copland is one of American Classical's enduring names in composition and Bernstein in conducting! Enjoy!


Essential Recordings   December 6, 1999
 17 out of 17 found this review helpful

These recordings with Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic are the definitive versions of these pieces. It doesn't get any better than this, excellent performances. An outstanding buy.


Copland doesn't get any better than this   July 10, 1999
 15 out of 15 found this review helpful

This is an essential cd for classical music lovers. Even by Copland's own admission, nobody conducted his music better than Bernstein, and this recording is a prime example. If you're looking for versions of these works, don't hesitate.