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Read Alex Ross' article for a welcome and very interesting discovery.
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/02/05/the-rediscovery-of-florence-price
The new recording of her works on Albany makes this discovery even more captivating.
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FINALLY — FLORENCE PRICE'S VIOLIN CONCERTOS ARE AVAILABLE!
It is indeed a cause for excitement when two concertos by Florence Price, the first African American woman to write a symphony performed by a major U.S. Orchestra, are recorded. There are no known performances of Price's first violin concerto, but the Violin Concerto No. 2, completed in 1952 was performed posthumously by its dedicatee, Minnie Cedargreen Jemberg at the opening of the Florence B. Price School in Chicago's Kenwood neighborhood in 1964. The two concertos are joined on this recording by a work for violin and orchestra by Ryan Cockerham, which is a tribute to Florence Price's home state of Arkansas. Violinist Er-Gene Kahng is on the faculty at the Universityof Arkansas in Fayetteville and is concertmaster of the Arkansas Philharmonic Orchestra. She is on the violin faculty at the Montecito International Music Festival, the Beverly Hills International Music Festival, and performs with the Bay View Music Festival string quartet. Ryan Cockerham's creative work has been exhibited and performed by leading arts and academic organizations around the world, including the English National Ballet, Art Expo Milano, and the Texas Ballet Theater, among many others.
CONTENTS:
Florence Price, composer
Violin Concerto No. 2
Er-Gene Kahng, violin; Janacek Philharmonic; Ryan Cockerham, conductor
Florence Price, composer
Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major
Er-Gene Kahng, violin; Janacek Philharmonic; Ryan Cockerham, conductor
Ryan Cockerham, composer
Before, It was Golden
Er-Gene Kahng, violin; Janacek Philharmonic; Ryan Cockerham, conductor
Has anyone heard this recording yet?
P.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUp3hICG3Og&list=PLsciQ0pPX9l7J2WcU_KaLwjq4fb92a8ph
I listened to Price's Violin Concerto No. 2 earlier. Meh. :-\ I like more interesting harmonies and it all sounded rather 'conventional' compared to what was happening in American music around that time.
The 2nd concerto only exists in fragments of one part.
She utilized Negro spirituals in her compositions.
The fully-realized/extant first concerto comes off better.
But like her symphonies and the Mississippi Suite, don't expect spellbinding music.
A solid composer, however.
Quote from: Scion7 on February 05, 2018, 11:24:51 AM
The 2nd concerto only exists in fragments of one part.
She utilized Negro spirituals in her compositions.
The fully-realized/extant first concerto comes off better.
But like her symphonies and the Mississippi Suite, don't expect spellbinding music.
A solid composer, however.
Exactly - and I'm glad that Albany (and the commited performers) give us a chance to hear this music in excellent performances.
https://www.youtube.com/v/93BYQ7Cex7M
P
A member of quartet that is preparing some of her music for publication has stated there are some serious chamber pieces - better probably than the 5 Pieces in Counterpoint on Folksongs that's out there.
Probably still in manuscript:
Piano Quintet
Violin Sonata
String Quartets - No.1-3
Piano Trio
There might be some meaty stuff there. Will we get to hear it? Who knows.
Completely agree with pjme here: not a forgotten genius, but a moving and captivating story of a sincere composer worth hearing for her attempt to create an Afro-American style - especially in the Third Symphony IMO:
https://www.youtube.com/v/9s4yY_A2A2k&t=70shttps://www.youtube.com/v/VPjRug77uG8&t=56shttps://www.youtube.com/v/wfdvCrqzTm0&t=13s
Yesterday, my first encounter with music of Florence Price: Five Folksongs in Counterpoint (1951) for string quartet, played by members of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Yikes, how have I missed her? (Rhetorical question, since there is just too much music to listen to, from too many composers -- a happy problem to have.)
At the bottom of this page is a good performance from the Er Gene Kahng Quartet. Hoping the DSO will archive yesterday's concert (which also included a fascinating new violin concerto by Tyshawn Sorey).
http://www.florenceprice.org/details
--Bruce
Thanks for the bump, I'll be checking out her music. The recent Naxos disc with symphonies 1 and 4 looks promising. Interestingly, she briefly taught music at Clark Atlanta University in my city.
Excellent composer. I like her Symphonies, especially No.1, and other works.
I am really enjoy this disk - (https://static.universal-music.de/asset_new/521952/195/view/Yannick-N--zet-S--guin---Florence-Price--Symphonies-Nos--1---3-Cover.jpg) - I am becoming a fan of this majestic beautiful and playful music. Especially the 3rd symphony. As a big fan of Ives's First and Second - these sounds are really my cup of tea. The execution is very fine and it deserves the Grammy (I think it won a Grammy).
I also have enjoyed that disk (although I've only listened to the 1st so far). It's great that these neglected works are getting performed and recorded.
I like Ives's first too! Are you familiar with Dawson's Negro Folk Symphony? It's another work in a similar style.
Quote from: Mapman on May 02, 2022, 12:19:35 PM
I also have enjoyed that disk (although I've only listened to the 1st so far). It's great that these neglected works are getting performed and recorded.
I like Ives's first too! Are you familiar with Dawson's Negro Folk Symphony? It's another work in a similar style.
Thank you I am not aware of Dawson's work, I now have another symphony to explore thank you!!
This afternoon, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the brilliant young violinist Randall Goosby made a strong case for the two violin concertos of Florence Price (1939 and 1952, respectively). The orchestra won a Grammy this year for their recording of Symphonies 1 and 3, and these performances today were also recorded, apparently as part of the series. As an encore, Goosby and the Philadelphia strings did her Adoration (1951), which was lovely.
-Bruce
Continuing a discussion from WAYL2N about the recent Chineke! recording of Symphony #1 and the Piano Concerto:
Quote from: JBS on July 07, 2023, 06:38:39 PMWorth getting. The symphony comes off much better than the Naxos recording. (I don't have the Nezet-Seguin recording.)
The Piano Concerto is an interesting piece. The short movement from Ethiopia's Shadow makes me hope someone records the four movement tone poem in full.
There's this version of Price's
Ethiopia's Shadow that has 3 tracks. Is anything missing from it?
(https://i.discogs.com/RPCkBameJ2rJGuN7jm1Hm-GjGUGogLyLq7scWOSRUEs/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:594/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTIxMjg1/NDM2LTE2MzkwNTQy/NjAtNzQ2MS5qcGVn.jpeg)
Hopefully Nézet-Séguin will also record it with Philadelphia.
Quote from: Mapman on July 07, 2023, 07:59:13 PMContinuing a discussion from WAYL2N about the recent Chineke! recording of Symphony #1 and the Piano Concerto:
There's this version of Price's Ethiopia's Shadow that has 3 tracks. Is anything missing from it?
(https://i.discogs.com/RPCkBameJ2rJGuN7jm1Hm-GjGUGogLyLq7scWOSRUEs/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:594/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTIxMjg1/NDM2LTE2MzkwNTQy/NjAtNzQ2MS5qcGVn.jpeg)
Hopefully Nézet-Séguin will also record it with Philadelphia.
Double checking...my memory was off. It's three movements.
Turns out there's another recording that included Ethiopia's Shadow and the Piano Concerto
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81ChJ3v0pNL._UF1000,1000_QL80_FMwebp_.jpg)
It also has two works by two other Black women composers.
Ethiopia's Shadow in America is quite a fine work with an especially beautiful slow central section containing a soulful cello solo (which I had the privilege of playing recently). But generally, I'm not impressed by her orchestral works, which I find too episodically constructed and rather crudely orchestrated, despite some good tunes and lovely moments. I much prefer her chamber music, including her two string quartets, Piano Quintet, Negro Folksongs in Counterpoint, etc.
Quote from: kyjo on July 08, 2023, 07:05:24 AMEthiopia's Shadow in America is quite a fine work with an especially beautiful slow central section containing a soulful cello solo (which I had the privilege of playing recently). But generally, I'm not impressed by her orchestral works, which I find too episodically constructed and rather crudely orchestrated, despite some good tunes and lovely moments. I much prefer her chamber music, including her two string quartets, Piano Quintet, Negro Folksongs in Counterpoint, etc.
The slow section is the one included in the Chinkeke recording. Ethiopia's Shadow is not particularly long and the CD is 61 minutes duration; I wonder why they didn't record the whole thing.
I'm finding I like her concertante works more than the symphonies.