On occasion, elected officials--former Vice President Al Gore and statesman Adlai Stevenson among them--also have read the work’s stirring lines.

Like them, Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky will bring the sensibilities of a political figure to his first public performance of the work at 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2, at Cal State Northridge’s Performing Arts Center.

"Copland’s 'Lincoln Portrait’ is evocative of one of the most significant periods in our history and the role that one of our greatest leaders played in it," Yaroslavsky said. "The music conveys this awesome moment in our history--the Civil War--and the narration captures the pivotal role that Abraham Lincoln played at this most critical juncture in our history."

Commissioned in 1942 by conductor Andre Kostelanetz, the work was meant to sustain the nation as it entered World War II. Copland wove into the piece excerpts from Lincoln’s speeches and musical quotations from beloved American songs, forming a work the American people instinctively turn to in times of crisis.

"I have always been in awe of Lincoln and the challenges he had to confront and the decisions he had to make," the supervisor said. "As a political figure, I can only imagine the weight on Lincoln’s shoulders. 'Lincoln Portrait’ captures that for me."

Yaroslavsky will perform with the CSUN Wind Ensemble, conducted by Lawrence Stoffel, in a program of music entitled "Everybody’s All-American." Saxophone professor Doug Masek also will be featured.

Yaroslavsky’s baritone may be more familiar to Southland radio and television audiences in discussion of health care or transportation issues, but he is not a novice at concert narration. His was the voice for Camille Saint-Saëns’ fanciful "Carnival of the Animals" at the Zipper Theater of the Colburn School of Music recently, and at the John Anson Ford Theater.

Still, the supervisor--a Copland aficionado--is well aware that "Lincoln Portrait" has special resonance for Americans. "I’m sure I’ll be nervous when I mount the stage," he said, "but for now I’m excited and honored by the opportunity to recite Lincoln’s words to Copland’s score."

A chance meeting with Yaroslavsky this summer led Stoffel, CSUN director of bands, to invite the supervisor to CSUN. "It was serendipitous," said Stoffel, who had read in a Los Angeles Times article that the supervisor had a "fantasy about one day performing 'Lincoln Portrait.’ " Stoffel, who had planned to include the work in his fall 2005 program, made a mental note of it.

One week later, at the home of his wife’s grandmother--located along the staging area for the annual Pacific Palisades Fourth of July parade--he noticed across the street an official car with Yaroslavsky’s name on it. He walked over, introduced himself and quickly got to the point.

"How serious are you about performing 'Lincoln Portrait?’," he asked.

"Very serious," said Yaroslavsky. Stoffel took the supervisor at his word. A half-year later, Yaroslavsky will fulfill his "fantasy," performing with 46 of the university’s finest woodwind, brass and percussion students.

"For the Wind Ensemble to perform with a person of Supervisor Yaroslavsky’s noteworthiness speaks to our department’s mission that our music is meant for everyone," said Stoffel. "We want to contribute to the arts of all of Los Angeles and beyond."