BBC Philharmonic Orchestra

John Wilson - conductor
Stephen Johnson - presenter

Programme:
Copland - Corral Nocturne from Rodeo
Copland - Symphony No. 3

If ever there was a composer who embodied America, its wide-open spaces and pioneering spirit, then it must be Aaron Copland, even if his Socialist sympathies made him a target of the McCarthyite witch-hunts of the 1950s.

This concert offers the chance to explore his expansive soundscapes with accessible, insightful introductions from broadcaster Stephen Johnson and idiomatic performances from conductor John Wilson, whose recordings of Copland’s music with the BBC Philharmonic have been widely praised.

The Corral Nocturne from Copland’s 1942 ballet Rodeo provides a reflective entrée to his most ambitious symphonic statement. Commissioned by conductor Serge Koussevitsky, the 1944 Third Symphony is both lyrical and brassily extrovert.

Drawing on the traditional song forms that inspired his earlier ballets, Copland transforms his simple materials into some of the most impressive musical panoramas heard, ending with unquenchable optimism as his Fanfare for the Common Man blazes through the finale.