- Billy the Kid, Rodeo and “In the Beginning”
Aaron Copland wrote some of the greatest ballet scores of the 20th century, and on this CD there are two, both with a ‘Western’ theme: Billy the Kid, from 1938, and Rodeo (1942).
We get to hear the following selections:
Copland:
- Rodeo (Four Dance Episodes)
- Billy the Kid
- In the Beginning
Performed by the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, Leonard Slatkin conducting.
The story of “Billy the Kid” follows the life of the infamous outlaw and is most famous for its incorporation of many cowboy tunes and American folk songs.
Likewise “Rodeo” uses traditional American folk tunes in their original form, with very little alteration by the composer.
“In the Beginning” is a Copland work from 1947 to a text from Genesis and is a rare example of Copland’s choral writing.
The CD tracks are as follows:
1. Billy The Kid: Introduction: The Open Prairie
2. Billy The Kid: Street In A Frontier Town
3. Billy The Kid: Mexican Dance And Finale
4. Billy The Kid: Prairie Night (Card Game At Night)
5. Billy The Kid: Gun Battle
6. Billy The Kid: Celebration (After Billy’s Capture)
7. Billy The Kid: Billy In Prison (His Escape)
8. Billy The Kid R: Billy In The Desert (Waltz)
9. Billy The Kid: Billy’s Death
10. Billy The Kid (1999 Digital Remaster): The Open Prairie Again
11. Rodeo: Buckaroo Holiday
12. Rodeo: Corral Nocturne
13. Rodeo: Piano Interlude & Saturday Night Waltz
14. Rodeo: Hoe-Down
15. “In The Beginning”
Here is the Aaron Copland 80th Birthday Concert, with the National Symphony Orchestra. Watch Mr. Copland rehearsing and preparing for the concert:
And here is Robert Trevino Conducting the Tanglewood Music Festival Orchestra in a performance of Aaron Copland’s Billy the Kid Suite:
Tags: Aaron Copland, Billy the Kid, Rodeo, “In the Beginning”
