Inside Aaron Copland's world

Among American classical composers, Aaron Copland is the closest thing there is to a household name. But "A Copland Celebration," the next concert in the Thursday Night Recital Series, will surprise all but the composer's biggest fans.

"We all think of that beautiful clarinet in ‘Appalachian Spring,' or the majestic brass in ‘Fanfare for the Common Man,'" said arts entrepreneur David Sckolnik, who organizes the series.

"But the thing about Copland is that he did it all. His music was inspired, and it was designed. It was beautiful, sarcastic, cacophonous and lyrical."

To bring all these facets of Copland's art to life, Sckolnik has created a format that goes beyond the traditional concert, using words, images and dance to create a portrait of the composer and his world.

It's an approach familiar to fans of the Thursday Night Recital Series from earlier tributes to Schubert, Brahms, Beethoven and Debussy, but the addition of dancers is new, as is the inclusion of a student ensemble to play "Quiet City," a piece in the style of Copland's film scores.
"Film and ballet were such important parts of his artistic breakthroughs," Sckolnik said.

Sckolnik promises that the concert will provide the full scope of the Copland's kaleidoscopic personality, and will provide insight into how a gay, left-leaning Jewish kid from Brooklyn became the voice of American music, and particularly of the American West. (One part of the answer is Copland's mother, who was from Texas.)
"You're given the tools to appreciate the spirit of the composer and the music," Sckolnik said.

In addition to "Quiet City," the program features the Violin Sonata, the Duo and the Vocalise for flute and piano, the Piano Variations, and vocal selections from the "Old American Songs," "12 Poems of Emily Dickinson" and the opera "The Tender Land."

Soprano Judeth Shay Burns said Copland's vocal music is difficult. In the case of Laurie's aria from "The Tender Land," it's problematic: "It's hard, but it's so appropriate for a young girl," she said.
The vocal and rhythmic challenges are even greater in the Dickinson songs, but these call for a more mature singer.

The group of 10 regional musicians also includes Peter Tuff, Susan Townsend, Jeri Jorgensen, Joan Sawyer, Gregory Adams, me - Mark Arnest, and the Colorado Springs Youth Symphony chamber ensemble: Evan Koch, Hannah Brenneman, and Kristi Ruff.

Full disclosure: Arnest, The Gazette's arts writer, is performing Copland's thorny Piano Variations at the concert.

details

Thursday Night Recital Series presents "A Celebration of Aaron Copland"

When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday
Where: Louisa Performing Arts Center, Colorado Springs School, 21 Broadmoor Ave.
Tickets: $15 adults, $10 seniors and students; 475-9747, ext. 510