Disc One
01. - 05. Music For The Theatre [19'54]
06. - 08. Three Latin American Sketches [10'52]
09. Quiet City [10'10]
10. - 27. Appalachian Spring. Complete Ballet (original version for 13 instruments) [34'41]
Disc Two
01. - 10. Old American Songs. First & Second Sets* [24'56]
11. Down A Country Lane [2'51]
12. - 19. Eight Poems Of Emily Dickinson** [20'33]
20. - 22. Billy The Kid. Selection: Waltz, Prairie Night & Celebration Dance [10'48]
Thomas Hampson- baritone*, Dawn Upshaw- soprano**, The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra conducted by Hugh Wolff
Teldec Ultima 3984-28169-2 (recorded September 1990- Disc One and 1992- Disc Two; this CD release 1994)
(flac and scans)
Recording venue: The Ordway Music Theatre, Saint Paul
Recording engineer: Michael Brammann; Producer: Wolfgang Mohr
Another fine twofer from Warner Music with the combination of two CDs of Copland's music first issued in the early nineties. Dawn Upshaw's performance of the orchestrated Emily Dickinson songs and Thomas Hampson's of the Old American Songs are possibly the finest on disc- as is Hugh Wolff's complete Appalachian Spring ballet in its original chamber version for 13 instruments. I find this version rather more effective than Copland's more frequently heard suite for large orchestra.
If you are a Copland fan, this is an unmissable collection if you don't already have the two discs.The only disappointment is that only three excerpts from Billy the Kid are included when there is plenty of space on the second disc for at least the whole suite if not the complete ballet.