William Grant Still (1895-1978)
By Lawrence Budmen
October 25, 2020
Musical conservatories and educational institutions have had to adapt
and innovate in the Covid 19 era in order to fulfill their mission. The
University of Miami’s Frost School of Music has combined classroom and
online learning with livestreamed performances presented before small,
socially distanced audience.
On Saturday night, nearly 75 students and faculty members greeted
conductor Gerard Schwarz and members of the Frost Symphony Orchestra at
UM Gusman Concert Hall. For a critic who has not experienced live music
since March, the event was doubly welcome. As usual Schwarz did not
disappoint, spotlighting a rarely played work by a significant American
composer and leading energetic readings of repertoire staples. (All the
musicians and the conductor wore masks, except for the wind and brass
players.)
William Grant Still was one of the first major African-American
composers to write classical music. He penned over 200 works in
virtually every musical medium and form. Darker America, a
12-minute tone poem written in 1924, combines elements of blues and jazz
with the uplift of spirituals and sacred hymns. Still’s finely crafted
score features introspective solo passages for winds and an active piano
line, suggesting his early work as an arranger for big bands and
Broadway.
Schwarz commanded tight ensemble and superbly controlled the tricky
changes of meter. Even with one player to a stand and the musicians
spread out across the stage, he managed to meld a cohesive corporate
sonority. String textures were rich and the brass climaxes emerged with
visceral impact. Still’s catalogue deserves further investigation and
revival, particularly his later more austere efforts.
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Saturday’s Frost Symphony Orchestra concert is available for free viewing on YouTube.
