Colorado Symphony Orchestra
The Colorado Symphony is simply radiant. Litton has a terrific sense of rhythm, and the necessary power is all here. I have no doubt this disc will become the new norm for Copland’s ballets. Colorado Symphony Orchestra; Copland ballets
— Steven Kruger, Fanfare
There is competition [but] Litton's performance can more than hold up its head in such exalted company and he offers more music and is recorded in significantly better sound. Andrew Litton brings the Great American West vividly to life here. Saddle up, mosey on down to your record store - and enjoy. Colorado Symphony Orchestra; Copland: An Outdoor Overture, Billy the Kid, El Salón México, Rodeo
— John Quinn, musicweb-international.com
The disc is a knockout with lush, precise and beautiful playing. Litton's command of the scores allows the highly familiar music to come across with fresh insights and real drama. The performances are exuberant and the recording is sonically stunning. Colorado Symphony Orchestra; Copland: An Outdoor Overture, Billy the Kid, El Salon Mexico, Rodeo
— Jeff Zumfelde, Colorado Public Radio
The Colorado Symphony's new Copland CD is jam-packed with goodies, many of them rarely heard or recorded. Already, then, this is an appealing release. Then you add in another factor: the terrific performances. Andrew Litton, a conductor whose long tenures in Dallas and Bergen have created a rich legacy of great recordings, proves as adept with Copland as he is with Gershwin and Prokofiev. The Colorado Symphony's orchestral sound is very traditionally "American," and Copland's colorful scores call for virtuoso solos from unusual instruments like the piccolo. The honky-tonk piano in the two ballets is played by Litton himself. Let's hope this is the start of a long series of Colorado/Litton recordings of American classics.
— Brian Reinhart, musicweb-international.com
Hard on the heels of Robert Spano's impressively polished Atlanta account of Dona nobis pacem comes this rival — and, to my ears, markedly more involving — version from Denver. Not only does Andrew Litton draw a terrifically agile response from his combined Colorado Symphony forces, he masterminds a reading which in its expressive urgency, arresting conviction and dramatic bite grabs the listener at the word go. Colorado Symphony; Vaughan Williams: Dona nobis pacem
— Andrew Achenbach, Gramophone
Best of 2013: Denver's 13 best cultural moments of the year: A lot of us were already "in like" with the CSO's new music director, but when he stepped off the podium to play Ravel's coy masterpiece it turned to true love. Litton's reading was selfless and flawless, gentle and assured. We want a musician leading our musicians, and the maestro proved his skills. Colorado Symphony Orchestra; Ravel: Piano Concerto in G major
— Ray Mark Rinaldi, The Denver Post
Conductor Andrew Litton piled the logs on this blaze. He drove it to the end in Litton style. The guy loves drama and conducts with verve. He's an evangelist encouraging the musicians to keep moving through ups and downs. That is how it felt listening, not fully saddled, a little dangerous. Colorado Symphony Orchestra; Mahler: Symphony No. 6
— Ray Mark Rinaldi, Denver Post
Andrew Litton brought out some superb playing from the CSO in a wildly diverse program. The Mahler (Symphony NO. 4) offered music-making of the highest level, marked by impeccably balanced playing, ideal tempos and the conductor's thorough command of the work's endless mood shifts.
— Marc Shulgold, Rocky Mountain News
The value of having a seasoned veteran on the podium became clear...as Litton led the orchestra in an expansive, evocative and utterly engrossing interpretation of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No.4 in G major.
— Kyle MacMillan, Denver Post
With Andrew Litton leading the Colorado Symphony Orchestra in a warm and sympathetic accompaniment, Oliveira brought freshness, energy and a wonderfully burnished sound to the (Bruch G-minor violin) concerto...After intermission Litton presided over another concert hall staple, Strauss' sumptuous tone poem Also Sprach Zarathustra...Litton was in total control, never letting things sag, never letting tension slip...until the final, barely audible pluck of resignation from the basses.
— Marc Shulgood, Rocky Mountain News
Litton brought a sense of cohesion to it all (Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra) in this bold, lustrous interpretation...making it every bit the orchestral showpiece it should be.
— Kyle MacMillan, The Denver Post