South American Journeys, 1940-1941

Donald Macleod explores how Copland’s initial trip to Mexico left a lasting impression on him.

This week of programmes explores Aaron Copland’s most productive decade, and features some of his best-loved works in full. During this time, Copland hit his prime. He became recognised as America’s leading composer, winning the Pulitzer Prize in Music and an Academy Award for his work in Hollywood.

He toured Europe and South America, absorbing diverse influences from each, and composed key works including his Third Symphony, Appalachian Spring, Lincoln Portrait, Fanfare for the Common Man and Rodeo.

We get a sense of how Copland’s personal and professional interests developed over the 1940s and learn about his friendships and challenges during and in the aftermath of World War II.

In this episode, Copland is inspired by Mexico, and the cultural riches he discovered there that seemed to him to be so lacking in the US. It spurred him to “awaken the spiritual consciences of the people” in his music. It also encouraged him to travel more widely in South America in 1941, and marked a new stage in his lifelong friendship with the Mexican composer Carlos Chávez.

John Henry: A Railroad Ballet for Orchestra
London Symphony Orchestra
Aaron Copland, conductor

Quiet City
Maurice Murphy, trumpet
Christine Pendrill, cor anglais
London Symphony Orchestra
Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor

Piano Sonata
Leon Fleisher, piano

Our Town
St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
Leonard Slatkin, conductor

Produced by Iain Chambers for BBC Wales