I’ve never had a record that didn’t sell, Aaron Copland told the head of the music division of United Artists studios in a vain effort to get this recording released. So only about a dozen test LPs were ever pressed of Copland’s score to Jack Garfein’s 1960 film Something Wild. Around 1999 Garfein’s wife was looking for an old train set to show her grandson and uncovered a sealed copy of the LP, making possible the eventual release of a previously unknown Copland score preserved in a good digital transfer by Robert Towson for Varése-Sarabande.
Copland mined the score for his 1964 suite Music for a Great City, so the music is not wholly unfamiliar. But there is a lot in this release that is utterly new. The film, which was a commercial failure, dealt with marital violence, which is counterpointed to the harsh, abrupt, often violent rhythms of New York City. The director gave the metallic sounds of the city great prominence in the sound mix, so Copland took a novel approach, creating chords that seem to grow out of the clashing real-life noises. There are times the music weaves in and out so that sound effects (not included in the music tracks here) could make their point, giving the music an unusual structure reminiscent of Edgard Varése.
One of the most exciting tracks is called “Subway Jam”, a virtual concerto for drums, with snarling staccato trombone chords that might as well be regarded as another percussion instrument. However, as the emotional truth of the story begins to be revealed, the music becomes more string-dominated, though the chords remain chilly and ominous. While the music is tonal (barely), it seems to share some serial procedures with the contemporaneous orchestral concert scores Inscapes and Connotations. There is little resemblance to the folksy Copland of Appalachian Spring or Rodeo.
This disc provides fascinating listening. Copland’s notes (intended for the aborted LP release) make it clear that he enjoyed the craftsmanship aspect of fitting music to the demands of a film. Therefore, what results is not structured by musical logic, but by film logic. Since Copland’s concert works tend to be exemplars of musical logic, this release is far from being a lost masterpiece.
The studio orchestra plays very well, if not with the ultimate in smoothness. The sonics are sound-stage stereo, dry and hard-edged. While appropriate to the tone of the music, better blending would have been welcome. There is a faint rustle of vinyl groove noise and some peaky distortion. The CD is only 36 minutes long, but its shortness is excusable under the circumstances. Copland buffs, cinema aficionados, and the curious will not regret the purchase. Most listeners will likely find it too esoteric for repeated enjoyment.
