[Photo Courtesy of George Walker]
We present a brief excerpt from Harry Rolnick's review of the March 17, 2009 concert of the Philadelphia Orchestra in Carnegie Hall:
Darius Milhaud: La Création du Monde, opus 81a
George Walker: Lilacs
Gustav Mahler: Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen
Antonín Dvorák: Symphony No. 9, “From the New World”, opus 95
Russell Thomas (Tenor), Eric Owens (Bass-Baritone)
The Philadelphia Orchestra, Charles Dutoit (Chief Conductor and Artistic Adviser), Jessye Norman (Presenter)
“George Walker was the first Black composer to win the Pulitzer Prize for his Lilacs, while Mahler’s Songs of a Wayfarer was a favorite of Marian Anderson, who was celebrated by Ms. Norman in her speech. Finally, Dvorák’s symphony, while has more ersatz American Indian themes than Black, celebrated a composer whose friendship with Black pianist Harry Burleigh is worthy of a book in itself. This was my first hearing of George Walker’s Lilacs, and I frankly loved it. Walt Whitman has been set countless times, but Mr. Walker had a special take. For the poem When Lilacs Last In The Door-Yard Bloom’d is desolation, and Mr. Walker sensed that from the beginning. Over all four songs was one chord which was neither major nor minor, but this ambiguity gave the sense of unease over the entire work, ending only with a kind of mournful percussive effect.”
“Tenor Russell Thomas did the honors, literally. So lovely is his voice that one almost wishes he was reciting the poems. But singing them, with the sudden leaps to near falsetto range, he retained all the emotional impact.” [George Walker (b. 1922) and Henry "Harry" Thacker Burleigh (1866-1949) are profiled at AfriClassical.com. Dr. Dominique-René de Lerma has contributed Works Lists for both composers]
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