I Hear America Singing!
Choral
Music of
Roy Harris
The Roberts
Wesleyan
College
Chorale
Robert
Shewan,
conductor
Albany Records
John Malveaux of MusicUNTOLD.com writes:
American composer Roy Harris' last completed symphony, "Bicentennial
Symphony" (13th), premiered February 10, 11, 12 at the Kennedy Center
with the National Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Murry
Sidlin to celebrate the 200th birthday of our nation. Original text in
the choral symphony, "stand firm against the White Man's shame, they buy slave's blood in freedom's name" along
with performance and promotional rights granted to John Malveaux by
Johana Harris (wife of Roy Harris) are suspected reasons every major
symphony orchestra in the United States has refused to perform the
symphony in over 44 years. The controversial original text has been
taken out of the full context of the choral symphony. The choral
symphony was a celebration of American history NOT a condemnation or
indictment of American history.
In 2009, the Long
Beach Central Area Association and City of Long Beach Parks Recreation
& Marine presented a non-union/amateur performance of the
"Bicentennial Symphony" at MLK Jr Park to celebrate the 200th birth of
Abraham Lincoln during their annual Juneteenth Celebration and prevent
non-existence of the "Bicentennial Symphony" after absence of major
media coverage and public awareness. The amateur performance is the only
known audio /video recording of the "Bicentennial Symphony". On August
11, 2022, the Long Beach Central Area Association will debut the
MusicUNTOLD Orchestra (union contracted) to perform the 1st professional
performance of the "Bicentennial Symphony" in Los Angeles since the
1976 premiere to include Maestro Murry Sidlin and the Los Angeles Master
Chorale (conductor Jenny Wong) singing the chorus.
The
Long Beach Central Area Association will donate the audio/video
performances of the 2009 amateur performance in Long Beach and the
August 11, 2022 Los Angeles premiere to the Roy Harris archive in the
Library of Congress along with related materials for posterity. See https://www.loc.gov/item/2010562511/
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