Saturday, October 11, 2008
The Ritz Chamber Players, founded in 2002, is a group of African-American musicians dedicated to the exploration of the black heritage in classical music. Beyond the obvious jazz influences, few are familiar with the many composers who studied classical composition and contributed to the growth of an art form almost entirely identified with white creativity. Friday’s Festival Miami program at Gusman Concert Hall on the University of Miami campus started us down this path of discovery. Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was born in England in 1875 to an African father and an English mother. His father soon returned to Africa, leaving the raising of his son to his wife, though it is doubtful whether his father even knew of his son’s existence. Young Samuel’s love for music led him to studies at the Royal College of Music and to considerable success as a composer. He died of pneumonia at the absurdly early age of 37.
Coleridge-Taylor’s Variations for Cello and Piano, from 1907, is a gorgeous piece of heartbreaking lyricism, typical of the late flowering of Romanticism in music. Cellist Kenneth Law has a beautiful, well-sustained tone and is capable of handling difficult virtuoso passages with unassuming ease. He was well matched by Terrence Wilson’s ardent pianism. Named for the earlier composer, Coleridge Taylor-Perkinson was composer-in-residence for the Jacksonville based Ritz players, but passed away in 2004 before he could complete a commissioned work for violin, viola and cello. What is left, simply called Movement, is a short fragment of lyrical expression not unlike Barber’s famed Adagio, but leavened with a layer of polytonal harmonic grit. While it ended all too soon, it was a fine tribute to the late composer. Posted by Lawrence A. Johnson [Full Post] [Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912) and Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson (1932-2004) are profiled at AfriClassical.com]
Festival MiamiGusman Concert Hall
University of Miami
Ritz Chamber Players
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson
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