The Royal Orchestral Society are pleased to present a beautiful and varied selection of rhapsodic music from America, with a mixture of familiar favourites and lesser-known gems. Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man, probably his most famous work, was written in 1942, in response to the US’s entry into World War II. Joan Tower modelled her ‘Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman’ on Copland’s inspired work, and dedicates it to ‘honour women who take risks and are adventurous’. Gershwin’s quintessentially American symphonic poem, American in Paris, is a well-loved vibrant and radiant ‘joie de vivre’, Barber’s Adagio for Strings is probably his best known work, but his compact yet profound Essay no. 1 for Orchestra, written in the same year for the same concert, is a wonderful masterpiece. Copland’s ballet ‘Rodeo’ is a celebration of the ‘Wild West’. It features American folk songs, dance tunes. This performance will feature a specially-inserted and rarely-performed movement as a special surprise for our audience!