What Makes It Great? with Rob Kapilow Inventing America, Part 2 Copland’s Appalachian Spring: An American Voice for Classical Music

In the second installment of his two-part Inventing America series, Rob Kapilow explores an iconic twentieth-century orchestral work, Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring, with the expert assistance of Boston’s self-conducted chamber orchestra A Far Cry.

Originally commissioned as a ballet for Martha Graham, the suite has become auditory shorthand for a kind of populist Americana, but Kapilow finds elements of the piece that keep avid listeners coming back. From the opening chords, Rob illustrates Copland’s specific choices that surprise, subvert audience expectations, and set the work apart.