In a televised concert featuring Igor Stravinsky conducting his Suite from The Firebird, Leonard Bernstein introduced the piece noting how lucky the audience is to hear the composer of such a monumental work lead the piece as he intended it to be performed.
It turns out we have that same opportunity with one of Stravinsky’s contemporaries: Aaron Copland. The recording above was made during a rehearsal of Appalachian Spring, one of his best known works. There’s a certain magical thrill you get while listening to the composer’s use of language to coax a specific sound from the orchestra. As indicated in the title, one of Copland’s refrains is to remind the musicians to play the piece sprightly. “The idea is marcato in a sort of a playful manner. It shouldn’t sound over-energized, but bouncy and light and happy,” he explains at one point. Later in the rehearsal, he reiterates the point by contrasting his music with Stravinsky’s: “Don’t forget, we’re not playing the Sacre du Printemps. It’s meant to be light, bouncy, happy … and Americana-ish.” (Note the quiet laughter from the orchestra for that comment, possibly for his very American way of pronouncing a French title.)
