Mention American composer Aaron Copland (1900-1990) to anyone and the conversation soon revolves around works like Appalachian Spring, Rodeo, Fanfare for the Common Man, The Red Pony, Lincoln Portrait, etc ... or pretty well everything that defines him as an American composer. And truth be told I don't think anything sounds as American in all of music quite like Appalachian Spring, Rodeo or Billy the Kid. These pieces instantly evoke images of the Wild West, wide open prairies, canyons, ... in other words "Big Sky Country" music. But what about the young Aaron Copland back in the 1920s when he was studying music in France. I happen to think that his Organ Symphony from that period, is one of the landmarks of 20th century music and required listening if you're to fully appreciate the "mature" Copland.

The 1925 one-act ballet Grohg is from that period, and was inspired by a screening of the silent film 'Nosferatu' (imagine the harrowing effect that film must have impressed upon people at the time) and casts Grohg as a vampire-like sorcerer who reanimates the dead in his quest for affection. Far removed from the world of rancheros and cowboys, but just as powerfully direct in its imagery. Some of Copland's trademark techniques were already present at the time, like his use of polyrhythms, jazz elements and open intervals. The 1920s hunger for things grotesque was well served by this ballet. I believe only one other recording of this work is in circulation, so it's nice to see it make a reappearance.

Nothing quite matches the opening Open Prairie segment of Billy the Kid as far as setting the scene for a ballet that glorifies the pioneering days of the outlaw cowboy. And Copland's use and mix of folksong, cowboy dances and Mexican tunes brings all of it to life. You can practically smell the leather on the saddles and see the tumbleweeds roll by. Staging this ballet must be a thrill as it even includes a gunfight, drunken revelry, dramatic action scenes and of course the inevitable death of Billy. Another great scene is Prairie Night as it evokes the feeling that despite cowboys living a hard life, nothing could quite match the sense of awe and profound peace like sleeping under the night sky's canopy.

This recording on Naxos as part of their comprehensive 'American Classics' series, with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Leonard Slatkin, presents the complete ballet and not only the customary 'suite', and therefore presents a complete and linear version of the musical narrative, all of which is well played and well engineered.