Skip to main content
Back to Show
Great Performances

Aaron Copland's Ideas on Film Scores

Host Scott Yoo and pianist John Novacek discuss Copland's career as a film composer. Copland was a firm believer in "less is more" in terms of scoring, an idea that can be heard in scores today. To demonstrate this, Novacek and the student orchestra at the Colorado College Music festival perform Copland's "Grover's Corner" from the film "Our Town."

Support Provided By
Season
Josh Groban: An Intimate Evening at The Union Chapel
Unlock with PBS Passport
1:16:36
Josh Groban returns to PBS in a special, personal concert at Union Chapel.
Now Hear This
53:55
Scott Yoo crosses this sunlit, rainy, volcanic land of extremes to meet Icelandic composers.
Now Hear This
53:55
With a host of Turkish musicians, Scott Yoo explores the city.
Now Hear This – “Everyone Loves Joplin”
53:55
Scott Joplin was the king of ragtime, a new kind music for the turn of the 20th century.
Now Hear This – “Brahms: Free But Alone”
53:54
Scott Yoo journeys across Germany to find a window into Brahms’ inner life.
Great Performances at the Met: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
2:48:08
In this adaptation of Michael Chabon’s novel, two Jewish cousins invent an anti-fascist superhero.
Samara Joy at Royal Albert Hall
54:45
Samara Joy makes her much-anticipated debut at London’s legendary Royal Albert Hall.
Everything Streaming Now
Unlock with PBS Passport
1:54:25
AARP’s Movies for Grownups hosted by Alan Cumming.
Everything Streaming Now
1:25:09
Ring in 2026 with the famed orchestra conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin hosted by Hugh Bonneville.
Nutcracker from English National Ballet
Unlock with PBS Passport
1:22:59
Experience the holiday classic in a new light.
Twelfth Night
Unlock with PBS Passport
1:52:43
The Shakespearean comedy of mistaken identity tells the misadventures of Sebastian and Viola.
Tiler Peck: Suspending Time
54:55
Follow prima ballerina Tiler Peck as she overcomes injury and pursues a new career as choreographer.
Active loading indicator