100 years and two months ago Aaron Copland’s Symphony for Organ and Orchestra was premiered by the New York Symphony Orchestra. At the end of the concert the conductor Walter Damrosch turned to the audience and said: Ladies and Gentlemen, if a gifted young man can write a symphony like this at 25, within five years he will be ready to commit murder! Copland loved it when any of his pieces caused a bit of a stir. As a young modernist rebel,...
Here’s a New Year’s Resolution for you! Check out Sound World’s brilliant podcast series called A Land Without Music? If like me, you love classical music and believe that it provides a force for...
Even though I have been to plenty of superb performances this year there are a few good ‘uns that I’ve missed. Work, the Olympics and a family holiday have scuppered John Wilson at the...
For the last few years I have been thinking how I might celebrate the 125th anniversary of Aaron Copland’s birth. I am now ready to share the vision for Copland 125! The idea in...
Aaron Copland died on 2 December, 1990. I had just turned 20 and was at Swansea University. I watched the BBC News and there was an obituary. I can remember the black and white...
I bet you didn’t realise there was a link between Aaron Copland and Muhammad Ali? Neither did I, but sometimes the stuff I turn up seems to be like buried treasure that is just...
Like most people I have plenty of Bucket List entries that I want to tick off in my life. Many of these are of course associated with the music of Aaron Copland and one...
I love my city – Bristol. For sure, there are things that annoy me – the lack of a mass transit system – why? And certain derelict buildings that have stood like eyesores for...
At heart I’m a city boy. Even though my job involves working with farmers and I love country walks and nature spotting, I feel the need to be close to where culture is. I...
A couple of weeks back I started wondering about the number of monthly listeners on Spotify that Aaron Copland gets. It was a short hop to comparing this number with that of his modernist...
Music for a Great City: The Outcry Ensemble at Smith Square – Review
29 September 2024
Copland 125 – A year long music festival in Bristol
21 August 2024
