[Florence
B. Price: Concerto in One Movement, Symphony in E Minor;
New
Black Music Repertory Ensemble; Leslie B. Dunner, Conductor; Karen
Walwyn, Piano; Albany Records TROY1295 (2011)]
Florence B. Price (1887-1953)
is
profiled at AfriClassical.com, which features a comprehensive Works
List by Prof. Dominique-René de Lerma,
http://www.CasaMusicaledeLerma.com.
Price was an African American composer, arranger and teacher. A
prolific composer and arranger of songs and spirituals, she is
perhaps best remembered as the first
African American woman to have a symphony performed by a major
orchestra.
The recording released on Albany Records in 2011 has belatedly given the
public access to the sounds of two of Florence Price's most
significant compositions for orchestra, the Concerto in One Movement
(18:23) and her Symphony in E Minor (38:24).
On
March 14, 2011 AfriClassical posted: “Columbia Chronicle: 'Florence
Price Reborn; Local composer's work found after more than 70 years.'”
The post began:
“Columbia
Chronicle
Published 03-14-11
Written
by Vanessa Morton
Edited
by Brianna Wellen
“Suzanne
Flandreau unexpectedly stumbled upon two original music manuscripts
by the late African-American symphonic composer Florence Price more
than 10 years ago. The orchestral score 'Piano Concerto in One
Movement'—last performed in the 1930s—was believed to be missing
for many years. It wasn’t until Feb. 17 that the two pieces found a
contemporary audience.”
Later
in 2011, the promise of both recordings was fulfilled with skilled
and dynamic performances by pianist Karen Walwyn and the New
Black Music Repertory Ensemble, conducted by Leslie B. Dunner.
Composer Trevor Weston reconstructed the score of the Concerto in One
Movement, using surviving manuscripts Price had written for
guidance.
In
further recognition of Florence Price's achievements as a composer,
on March 14, 2012 a video (19:17) of the Community Women's
Orchestra's March 4, 2012 performance of Price's Third Symphony was
uploaded to YouTube:
"Uploaded
by sregan65 on Mar 14, 2012
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