American composers Ruth Crawford Seeger (1901-53) and Aaron Copland (1900-90) began their careers as modernist composers and, during the international socio-cultural upheaval of the 1930s they shifted towards musical populism. Their paths touched briefly in 1942 when Copland lifted (pretty much lock stock and barrel) Seeger's transcription of Alan Lomax's 1937 recording of Appalachian fiddler William Stepp's rendition of the traditional fiddle tune "Bonaparte's Retreat" for the main theme of the "HoeDown" section of his new ballet Rodeo. But beyond that, except for Seeger's wonderful 1939 composition Rissolty, Rossolty, a modernist-informed 4 minute mash-up of 3 traditional tune, their musical paths never again crossed…Seeger being a professed "ultra-modernist" composer until she switched her musical journey to the world of American roots music with folklorist husband Charles Seeger and children Pete, Mike and Peggy; and Copland being, well, Copland.
Michael Anderson, Alice Blankenship and microphilharmonic join forces for a facinating dive into the Ruth Crawford Seeger's career with fitting moments of Copland during his decidedly American heartland-informed period in the early 1940s.