Michael Tilson Thomas obviously loves these wonderful ballet scores. Trouble is, he loves them to death. There’s poetry aplenty in his readings, but dance and tension are too often subordinated to impressionistic scene-painting. So while this disc of three of Copland’s most popular scores offers much enjoyment it’s up against Leonard Bernstein’s energetic New York Philharmonic accounts, which add the ubiquitous Fanfare for the Common Man as a bonus. Lenny not only got there first, he did it better. Listen to the opening of Billy the Kid from San Francisco–the wind solos drawn out and uneventful. Then turn to Bernstein’s New York Philharmonic version, bristling with rhythmic snap and life. Billy’s famous gun duel is another testing point: Bernstein’s pounding drums and gutsy brass are gripping alongside the more laid-back Californians and their wimpy trumpets. Similar conclusions apply to Appalachian Spring, whose longeurs are traceable to MTT’s impressionistic interpretation. Even Rodeo has its share of rhythmic slackness.
Copland may have studied in France but his popular ballet music demands, most of all, bounce and vigor. It can’t be shoehorned into a Debussyian idiom. Given Bernstein’s virtual ownership of these scores, it’s possible MTT was trying to do something different. If so, his originality can be welcomed as a supplement to, not a replacement for, the master. This Appalachian Spring includes a section Copland wrote into the original chamber orchestra version and usually omitted from the full orchestral score. Interesting, but not enough to tip the scales.
The sound is schizophrenic. Set your volume controls at normal levels and there’s a back-of-the-hall, under-the-balcony-overhang opacity that dims pleasure. Kick the volume control way up though and the sound blooms, becoming impactful and natural if without the close-up technicolor excitement of Bernstein’s Sony disc. RCA’s production values are also out of whack, allotting Billy and Appalachian Spring only one track apiece, denying convenient access to individual dances. [6/13/2000]
