With musical excerpts of: Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue, Ives: Decoration Day, Cage: First Construction in Metal, Carter: Celebration of some 100 x 150 notes, Feldman: Mme Press died last week at 90, Riley: In C, Adams: Harmonium, Copland: Appalachian Spring, Weill: Lonely House from Street Scene, Bernstein: Symphonic Dances from West Side Story Written and presented by Sir Simon Rattle, the foremost British conductor of our day, this series forms a fascinating introduction to, and overview of, the music of the twentieth century. Each of the seven programmes features over thirty minutes of specially-shot music in performance, with Rattle conducting the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Volume 5 The focus of The American Way is the music of young men in a young country, individualists and innovators who nevertheless learnt from the music of the past, and from the music of the other cultures. Jazz, military bands, country dances, German Expressionism and minimalism all contribute to a dazzling display of energy and virtuosity in American music.