Explore well-known works and discover new treasures of the musical repertory in our Guided Listening sessions with JoAnna Cochenet.

Our first stop on our tour of the western American landscape focuses on Virgil Thomson’s music from the 1936 short documentary film The Plow that Broke the Plains, which shone a light on the cultivation of North America’s Great Plains following the US Civil War and leading to the Dust Bowl. We’ll also delve into one of Aaron Copland’s quintessential ballets based on the Wild West, Billy the Kid.

Guided Listening: Copland’s  Billy the Kid Suite  and Thomson’s The Plow that Broke the Plains

Bluegrass, folk and hymns are the sounds of the vast American landscape.  Hear Barber’s bracing Second Essay for Orchestra followed by Higdon’s Smoky Mountains inspired Concerto 4-3. The orchestra continues through the High Plains in Thomson’s film score for The Plow That Broke the Plains and finishes the American tour with the “Simple Gifts” of Copland’s Appalachian Spring.

Virgil Thomson

Events

Past events

Oct 21, 2022

Guided Listening: Copland’s  Billy the Kid Suite  and Thomson’s The Plow that Broke the Plains · Levine Music

Oct 15, 2022

Appalachian Spring · Las Vegas Philharmonic

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