Albany Troy 1295 (2011)
Florence B. Price (1887-1953)
Leslie B. Dunner
which features a comprehensive
Dominique-René de Lerma:
Bill McGlaughlin's Black, Brown, and Beige is now at the half-way mark with the fifth program on WFMT's Exploring music.
This was largely given over to Florence Price's piano concerto and
first symphony, both performed by the Center for Black Music Research's New Black
Music Repertory Ensemble (Albany TROY 1295, issued in 2011), conducted
by Leslie B. Dunner, the maestro we last encountered with Southside
Chicago's production of Still's Troubled island. He had been on
the conducting staff of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and later with
the orchestra in Annapolis before his move to Chicago. This is a
first-rate musician in every respect and a most excellent communicator
from the podium. The time is here for him to be engaged as music
director. The pianist in the concerto was Karen Walwyn of Howard
University, already well known to us from the 2-CD Dark fires,
both for Albany Rceords, in which she performs works of Delores White,
Roger Dickerson, and Ellis Marsalis, as well as Adolphus Hailstork, and
Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson. Perhaps what is less familiar is her work
as composer -- Reflections on 9/11, a major work for piano (also available on Albany).
The symphony, Price's first of three, is identified as a work in one
movement, while actually it contains three, played without pause. A
work of historical importance, it comes on the heels of Still's Afro-American symphony and just before the Negro folk symphony
of William Dawson. Disagree with me if you wish, but I found this to
be more a collection of what used to be termed "characteristic" pieces,
less of a symphonic work than either the Still or Dawson essays.
The piano concerto is a different matter: It really is a concerto and
certainly has a place in the canon. Perhaps we are past the point of
thinking at least some of the repertoire receives a valid performance
only by one of the race. If that is still a belief held, this work was
introduced by Margaret Bonds in its Chicago première, and has been
revived here by Karyn Walwyn. Well it should be. Now it merits
programming without the racial consideration.
Our radio host has been filling out his programs with other genres (and
I have long felt he really would enjoy a series of jazz). Odd company,
but the Price works shared the hour with James Brown, who was feeling
good. Less of a culture shock was the inclusion of baritone Jubilant
Sykes, who sang Let us break bread together. This provides the opportunity to mention that Sykes can also be heard in Leonard Bernstein's Mass
(Naxos 8.559622-23, from 2009), when he was joined by the Morgan State
University Choir, conducted by Marin Alsop. That chorus has expanded
its international standing with the masterful conducting of Eric Conway,
but he inherited a strong foundation from the days of Nathan Carter,
who died in 2004. I ardently lament that those LP recordings back in
Nathan's day have not been reissued in CD. Our schools have for a long
time made recordings that never were offered to the general public,
which were known only locally. This is a priority issue to address.
Also on this fifth program were works by James Europe, with Coleridge-Taylor's Lamentations
performed by Tahirah Whittington, 1999 Sphinx laureate, who has since
enjoyed an international career. This work, for solo cello, is
available on Cedille 80000 087.
Now we await news of what Bill has selected for this last week. When
the last program has been aired, let us hear what works you would have
included, and don't neglect to let Bill know when you thank him for
these two great weeks. And it isn't even February!
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Dominique-René de Lerma
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