Outdoor Overture is worth fifty cents
I've downloaded about 20 tracks from this one, and only really have strong opinions on two tracks. The "Outdoor Overture" is the best rendition I've heard -- Copland and the LSO master the blending of instruments flawlessly, keeping the drive of the piece moving while maintaining its emotion. I love it. On the other hand, the famous "Hoedown" has all the bad characteristics that I've read about Copland's conducting -- it's plodding and stilted -- everything that "Outdoor Overture" is not. I'd like to hear which Copland we get for the 4th movement of the 3rd symphony, but I'm too cheap to download all those tracks that I don't want (I don't want to punish my computer by making it store any more tracks from Appalachian Spring, even if temporarily.....)
