Search - Aaron Copland, Paul Posnak :: Copland: Complete Works for Violin and Piano

Copland didn't write a CD's worth of music for violin and piano, so the performers had to exercise ingenuity to fill the disc. They came up with two virtually unknown Preludes from 1917 (very early but attractive music), two later short pieces, a Trio (adding the cellist), and some transcriptions. The performances and recording are less ingenious than the programming, though. In the duo works, the piano consistently overbalances the violin, a rather annoying flaw. The conclusion of the 1978 Duo, originally for flute, is lacking the ecstatic poetry it can have, and the arrangements from Rodeo and Billy the Kid don't have the raucous energy they need. Vitebsk, the 1929 trio based on Jewish folk style, has its stinging dissonance intact, and the recorded balance is fine here. This disc is worth its low price for the novelties and adequate presentation, but it's not one of Naxos's better bargains. Sony's valuable two-disc set, which includes Copland's own performances of the Duo (in its original version) and Vitebsk, shows how they should be done. --Leslie Gerber