Let’s face it — America is having a tough time these days. Unemployment hovers near 10%; the deficit soars; leaders refuse to act like adults and won’t put the country’s interests ahead of petty politics; young Americans slog their way through two wars in far away places; and there’s that big oil spill that continues to gush and grow in the Gulf. And this is just a short list of what’s ailing the country right now!
So this Fourth of July weekend, if you find yourself with sagging spirits — or if you’re an optimist who just wants to stoke the fires further — listen to Aaron Copland’s Third Symphony. For me, the most exciting version of Copland’s Third Symphony is Leonard Bernstein’s 1990 recording with the New York Philharmonic for DG, and James Judd’s budget-priced recording with the New Zealand Symphony for Naxos is a worthy alternative. The great American composer finished writing what’s frequently called “The Great American Symphony” in 1946, and he said that its rousing, heroic tone was a reflection of the “euphoric spirit of the country.” The most destructive war in history was over, the country had finally emerged from the long night of the Great Depression, and America had been a beacon to the free world in dark times. There was plenty to celebrate! Listening to the symphony today, Copland’s words about it came to mind, and I felt sad thinking how different that “euphoric spirit” is from the America we are living in today.
What amazes me most when I listen to his Third Symphony is that although it is grandly patriotic — he once thought to call the piece “For the Day of Victory” or “For the Spirit of Democracy” — it is also universal. Perhaps more than any work by Copland, this is a unifying, all-embracing work. There are moments of extreme tenderness and vulnerability, but also climaxes of shattering power. It celebrates the ordinary citizen — the regular guy — with the extraordinary splendor of the famous “Fanfare for the Common Man.” Its finale is as triumphant as music can be, but it comes after some dark, scary and violent episodes. Victory may be assured, but it will not be easy.
I know that listening to Copland’s Third Symphony won’t put the unemployed back to work, or create renewable energy, or clean up the financial mess. But, at least for me, hearing this amazing work will continue to keep my own hope alive for a better future for our country.
For the perfect encore, listen to Dudley Buck’s enormously entertaining “Festival Ouverture on the Star Spangled Banner.”
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