Prairie Performances

Music of the Heartland

 
Aaron Copland in 1962 from a television special

Aaron Copland in 1962 from a television special By CBS Television - Wikimedia Commons

On this week's Prairie Performances, Friday at 7 pm on WILL-FM 90.9, the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra will perform blockbuster favorites of Aaron Copland and George Gershwin’s immortal Rhapsody in Blue, with pianist and entertainer par excellence Rich Ridenour. In a nod to St. Patrick’s Day, a special encore awaits you! The moving text and music of Copland’s Lincoln Portrait carry special meaning here in the Land of Lincoln. Many still consider Copland’s Symphony No. 3 the greatest American symphony written to date. Its rugged themes and optimistic rhythms culminate in a dazzling finale based on Fanfare for the Common Man.

Music of the Heartland (3/17/17)

Champaign-Urbana Symphony
Stephen Alltop, conductor

Rich Ridenour, piano
Roger Cooper, narrator

Copland | Lincoln Portrait 

Gershwin | Rhapsody in Blue

Copland | Symphony No. 3