Gramophone Magazine
May 2018
Blu-ray of the Month

Benny Goodman (clarinet)
Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Aaron Copland

Copland: Clarinet Concerto
Copland: El Salón México
Copland: Fanfare for the Common Man
Copland: Rodeo: Hoe down
Copland: The Tender Land (Suite)

This concert film made in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles in 1976 captures a memorable performance conducted by the doyen of American composers, Aaron Copland. It includes some of his greatest and most attractive music, from the patriotic flourish of Fanfare for the Common Man and the spirited orchestral fantasy El Salón México, to the colloquial warmth of his suite from the opera The Tender Land. Of particular importance is the collaboration with the great Benny Goodman in the masterwork he commissioned and premiered, the Clarinet Concerto.

"The video shows Copland as a precise, energetic and alert conductor, smiling happily at the orchestra after each piece and enjoying himself enormously in the performance of the Hoedown from the ballet Rodeo. It’s a great watch, and a rewarding listen as well...The video direction is in the safe hands of Kirk Browning...Browning keeps the camera moving but he knows what to show and when to show it." - Gramophone Magazine May 2018