Black Composers Series; Detroit Symphony Orchestra; Paul Freeman, Conductor; Natalie Hinderas, Piano; Sanford Allen, Violin; Sony Music DSO-1111 (2002) [Re-release of part of original CBS Black Composers Series on LP]
ANTHOLOGY
- The Black Composers Series
Columbia
Records' The Black composer series.
It was about 1971 that Paul
Freeman came to see me in Bloomington, where I was on the faculty of Indiana
University. He had become aware of my work in the history, while he was well
aware of the major contemporary figures, having already featured their works
while on the staff of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Now he was with the
Detroit Symphony Orchestra and was interested in exploring the past of Black
classical music.
What evolved was a plan to
initiate a series of recordings covering a spectrum of orchestral music. Such
a project needed funding and a non-profit channel to distribute these funds.
We had a very promising meeting with the Irwin-Sweeney-Miller foundation in Columbus
IN and I enlisted Indiana University's School of Music to sponsor the projected
grant. Unfortunately, Indiana's interest was short-lived due to campus
politics and Dr. Freeman was notified in Detroit by phone that the school was
no longer interested (while I could have been given the news by a short walk to
my office, if not by campus phone). Had Indiana University known that we had
then enlisted the interest in the world's largest record label, Columbia, some
thought might have been given at least to image. At any rate, Dr. Freeman
phoned me immediately, concerned that the impending grant lacked an agency. I
suggested contact with the Afro-American Music Opportunities Association, a
newly formed organization in Minneapolis without a significant agenda, and this
instantly became our replacement.
The intent was to produce four
LPs per year, in an open-ended series. That pattern was effective for only two
years. The third year only one recording was issued and Columbia's doors were
closed -- despite the consistently enthusiastic reviews that blanketed all of
American musical journals and newspapers.
Use of European orchestras was in
part an economic move. The regulations of the American Federation of Musicians
at the time required the engagement of the entire orchestra, no matter the
instrumentation of the work in question. Their rules further influenced the
choice in that they required any American who was to conduct a European
orchestra to have a title with that group. This news was brought to a meeting
we had at Columbia by John Hammond, who stated that Aaron Copland had just been
fined for a violation of the ruling. Dr. Freeman, beaming, announced that he
had just been engaged as Guest Conductor with the Helsinki Philharmonic. Had
that not been the case, we were contemplating the recording of the Nunes García
Requiem in the country of its origin -- Brazil -- if not with an
orchestra in Spain or Portugal. But no matter, we had decided on the chorus
from Morgan State University, which had recently excelled under Nathan Carter's
direction at a symposium we held in Baltimore.
The series soon went out of print
after Columbia's interest ended, until the College Music Society secured
funding from the Ford Foundation for reissue of the entire set. Ford's proviso
was that no additional profits were to be made by the reissue of the nine
albums, and Columbia agreed -- but only for LP release, not for issue on the
new CD format.
These recordings were made
available to the public, with a reduced price for College Music Society
members, presented in a boxed set with the cover illustration by Dr. David
Driscoll, and for which I wrote new liner notes. In all orchestral instances,
Dr. Freeman was the conductor.
Columbia M-32781 (1973); volume 1
Saint-Georges: Symphony
concertante, op. 13 (ed. by Barry S. Brook; Miriam Fried, Jaime Laredo,
violins; London Symphony Orchestra)
-----: Symphony no. 1 (ed. by D.
de Lerma; London Symphony Orchestra)
-----: Scena
from Ernestine (ed. by D. de Lerma; Faye Robinson, soprano; London Symphony
Orchestra)
-----: String quartet no. 1 (ed.
by D. de Lerma; Juilliard Quartet)
Columbia M-32782 (1973); volume 2
William Grant
Still: Afro-American symphony.
----: 2 arias
from Highway 1, U.S.A. (London Symphony Orchestra; William
Brown, tenor)
Samuel
Coleridge-Taylor: Danse nègre.
-----:
"Onaway, awake, beloved" from Hiawatha's wedding feast
(William Brown, tenor; London Symphony Orchestra)
Columbia M-32783 (1974); volume 3
Ulysses Kay: Markings (London
Symphony Orchestra)
George Walker: Trombone
concerto (Denis Wick, trombone; London Symphony Orchestra)
Columbia M-32784 (1974); volume 4
Roque Cordero: Violin
concerto (Sanford Allen, violin; Detroit Symphony Orchestra)
-----: Eight miniatures (Detroit
Symphony Orchestra)
Columbia M-33421 (1975); volume 5
José Maurício
Nunes-Garcia: Requiem Mass, M. 185 (ed. by D. de Lerma; Doralene Davis,
soprano; Betty Allen, mezzo-soprano; William Brown, tenor; Matti Tuloisela, bass-baritone;
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra; Morgan State University Choir [Nathan Carter,
director])
Columbia M-33432 (1975); volume 6
José White: Violin
concerto (ed. by Paul Glass and Kermit Moore; Aaron Rosand, violin; London
Symphony Orchestra)
David Baker: Cello sonata (Janós
Starker, cello; Alain Planès, piano)
Columbia M-33433 (1975); volume 7
William Grant
Still: Sahdji (London Symphony Orchestra; Morgan State University Choir
[Nathan Carter, director])
Fela Sowande: African suite (3
excerpts; London Symphony Orchestra)
George Walker: Lyric for strings
(London Symphony Orchestra)
Columbia M-33434 (1975); volume 8
Olly Wilson: Akwan
(Richard Bunger, piano; Baltimore Symphony Orchestra; Richard Bunger, piano)
Thomas Jefferson Anderson: Squares
(Baltimore Symphony Orchestra)
Talib Rasul Hakim: Visions of Ishwara
(Baltimore Symphony Orchestra)
Columbia M-34556 (1978); volume 9
George Walker: Piano
concerto (Natalie Hinderas, piano; Detroit Symphony Orchestra)
Hale Smith: Ritual and incantations
(Detroit Symphony Orchestra)
Adolphus Hailstork: Celebration!
(Detroit Symphony Orchestra)
------------------------------------
Dominique-René
de Lerma
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