Alkebulan's Son: The Piano Works of James Lee III
Albany Records Troy 1494 (2014)
James Lee III
Rochelle Sennet
On May 1, 2014 AfriClassical
posted: 'Alkebulan's Son: The Piano Works of James Lee III'
given recording premieres by pianist Rochelle Sennet on Albany
Records Troy 1494
James Lee III has been featured frequently on AfriClassical
since 2009. He was born in 1975 in St. Joseph, Michigan, a
popular tourist destination on the shores of Lake Michigan, just
90 miles from downtown Chicago. The composer earned his
Bachelor, Masters and Doctoral degrees at the University of
Michigan. The liner notes identify his principal composition
teachers as “Michael Daugherty, William Bolcom, Bright Sheng,
Betsy Jolas, Susan Botti, Erik Santos and James Aikman.” The
notes add: As a composition fellow at the Tanglewood Music
Center in the summer of 2002, he added Osvaldo Golijov, Michael
Gandolfi, Steven Mackey and Kaija Saariaho to his roster of
teachers, and studied conducting with Stefan Asbury.”
Dr. Lee is an Associate Professor of Composition and Theory at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland. His website announces: "Recently, James Lee III has been invited to be a composer among a list of internationally recognized composers to participate in the Psalms Project of the organization Soli Deo Gloria."
Dr. Lee is an Associate Professor of Composition and Theory at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland. His website announces: "Recently, James Lee III has been invited to be a composer among a list of internationally recognized composers to participate in the Psalms Project of the organization Soli Deo Gloria."
Leonard Slatkin, now Conductor of the Detroit Symphony
Orchestra, has programmed music of James Lee III since 2006.
His premieres of Dr. Lee’s work include Beyond Rivers of Vision
at the Kennedy Center and A Different Soldier’s Tale with the
Detroit Symphony Orchestra. The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
commissioned Chupshah! Harriet’s Drive to Canaan. For the
Sphinx Commissioning Consortium, “He composed a new work called
Sukkot Through Orion’s Nebula that was premiered by Michael
Tilson Thomas and the New World Symphony Orchestra in Miami
Beach, Florida.” The Ritz Chamber Players have premiered the
piano quintet Night Visions of Kippur. Ancient Words, Current
Realities! is a composition for band which “was premiered by the
St. Olaf Band in Greensboro, North Carolina,” the liner notes
report. The notes continue: “Dr. Lee’s collaboration with
pianist Dr. Rochelle Sennet resulted in the premiere of his
Piano Sonata No. 2 The Remnant at the University of Illinois,
which also appears on this recording.
Dr. Lee writes: “Piano Sonata No. 1 was composed during the
summer and autumn of 2002.” He notes he was at the Tanglewood
Music Center when he began the composition. “This work is cast
into three movements and it follows a traditional structure of a
first movement in sonata form, a slow movement in the middle,
and a rondo for the last movement.” “Movement two is designed to
be a wistful dreamlike rest between two very energetic
movements.”
The second work, Souls of Alkebulan uses ‘the indigenous name
for the continent of Africa.” Its movements are: Vitality of
Kemet; Memories of Axum; Heart of Kalimba; Lost Treasures and
Warrior Dance. Fantasia Ritmica, written in 2003, is the third
work, in a single movement. The recording concludes with Piano
Sonata No. 2, “The Remnant.” Dr. Lee explains: “Piano Sonata
No. 2 was composed in 2011 for the pianist Rochelle Sennet to be
premiered at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.” “I have a deep interest in the visions of the biblical books of
Daniel and Revelation. This work comes as part of an
over-arching design for my latest works. I am also influenced
by the evocative music of Charles Ives and Olivier Messiaen.
My piano sonata is structured in four movements. The first
movement is in sonata form and contains a musical commentary on
the career of the dragon and his earthly representatives as they
persecute the women mentioned in Revelation 12.”
The composer explains the first movement contains both
“aggressive tones and melodies evoking humility.” He tells us
the second movement communicates “longing and sadness.” Dr. Lee
continues: “By contrast, the third movement contains areas of
tonal ambiguity and the use of ‘deceptive cadences.’” “The last
movement is in rondo form with a coda. There are rhapsodic-like
episodes with forward-driving rhythms inspired by Alberto
Ginastera.”
The liner notes say of the pianist: “Dr. Rochelle Sennet,
Assistant Professor of Piano at the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign, has established herself as a well-known
performer, teacher, and scholar. She received the Bachelor of
Music degree from San Francisco Conservatory of Music, the
Master of Music degree from the University of Michigan, an
Artist Diploma from Texas Christian University, and the Doctor
of Musical Arts degree from University of Illinois, all in piano
performance. Her recital programs showcase her versatility at
the keyboard, with frequent performances of works by J.S. Bach,
Beethoven, and African American composers such as H. Leslie
Adams, Adolphus Hailstork, James Lee III, and Pulitzer Prize
winning composer George Walker."
H. Leslie Adams (b. 1932), Adolphus C. Hailstork (b. 1941) and George Walker (b. 1922) are profiled at AfriClassical.com, which features a Works List and Bibliography for H. Leslie Adams by Dr. Dominique-René de Lerma, http://www.CasaMusicaledeLerma.com.
We find the piano works of James Lee III more melodic, and
consequently more enjoyable, than those of most living classical composers. They are fitting companions to Dr. Lee's fascinating works of orchestral music. These compositions have retained
their freshness for us through numerous hearings, and seem likely to continue to do so.
Disclosure: A review copy of this recording was provided by the
record label.
Comments by email:
1) Hello Bill, Thanks for the review. I'm glad that you enjoyed the CD! James [James Lee III, www.jameslee3.com]
2) Dear Bill, thanks for the information. hla [H. Leslie Adams]
Comments by email:
1) Hello Bill, Thanks for the review. I'm glad that you enjoyed the CD! James [James Lee III, www.jameslee3.com]
2) Dear Bill, thanks for the information. hla [H. Leslie Adams]
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