Yet another superb offering from John Williams conducting the Boston Pops Orchestra. The choices seem perhaps a little odd when compared with the other selections, but this is no detriment to the album as a whole. Opening with a 26 minute suite from Aaron Copland's charming score to The Red Pony. The music is instantly accessible, tuneful and by turns playful and beautiful. The fifths based main theme which appears in various guises instantly indicates that this is Copland, who, after all played a huge role in defining the American sound as well as providing a huge influence to the way that westerns were scored.
Perhaps John Williams' Copland-esque style becomes more apparent when listening to his marvellous suite from the Reivers. One of the less known Williams scores, it has been issued on CD, but with somewhat dismal sound quality and missing some of the highlight cues. The suite here is provided with the original narrator on the film, Burgess Meredith whose dulcet tones help to illuminate the story and link the music with the narrative and makes one realise just how effective Williams is at conjuring up the correct music for a particular segment of a film. The biggest disappointment with the original CD release is that the thrilling horse race music is missed off. However, this is rectified here by a superb performance that might not have seen the light of day otherwise. Fans of Williams' score to Far & Away will be able to hear echoes of the horse race music used in that film in this selection and both pieces are every bit as exciting and perfectly suited. The rest of the suite is no less interesting and I would probably commend it over the original CD since I prefer the slightly more symphonic approach Williams takes here compared to the more folksy/bluegrass sound of the original. Plus the stunning fidelity displaced here.
The two central selections are somewhat less fun, indeed Born on the Fourth of July is every bit as disturbing as the original score. The dissonant strings of the second and third cues of the suite don't make for easy listening at times, but never does the dissonance become overbearing or irritating which is all too easy with this kind of music. The opening rendition of the Born on the Fourth of July theme is not the one that appears on the original soundtrack album, but is a much more subdued reworking of the major thematic elements, Tim Morrison once again providing his excellent trumpet playing skills. This suite appears to be Williams' favoured choice when performing Born on the Fourth of July in concert and while it might disappoint some that the marvellous main theme isn't included as they remembered, this arrangement sticks closer to the sombre nature of the original film. Indeed, in some ways this arrangement is more beautiful and elegiac and demonstrates Williams' immense talent for using the same material and transforming it in many beautiful and different ways.
Copland's Quiet City was originally from a play about a lonely trumpet player, but was apparently unstageable. However, Copland rescued the music, added a strings accompaniment and an English horn (here performed by Laurence Thorstenburg with Tim Morrison on trumpet). Building from a lyrical and sombre opening, the music opens out as it progresses with soaring trumpet passages that are stunning and wonderfully performed (as ever). I don't know how famous this is in Copland's body of work, but it deserves to be up there with the best of his music.
A compilation that many film fans may pass up since there are no show-stopping items, no Star Wars, but I really would rather have something different once in a while and this certainly provides with perhaps a more interesting compilation than most. The music is better chosen than at first appears and performed superbly by the Boston Pops (as always) and the various soloists and the music is clearly in an idiom with which Williams has a great affinity. Couldn't recommend it more highly.
Ratings ~ 
Total Time ~ 68:35