Florence Price was an African-American women composer
of no mean talent, and this disc goes at least someway to bringing her
the level of recognition that, on the musical evidence contained herein,
is long overdue. The idiom is, I suppose, on the conservative side for
its era (as is that of similar male figures like Still and Dawson) but
anyone with a taste for late romantic music, in general, and perhaps
the "American" works of Delius (beyond the usual Beecham, I would recommend
David Lloyd Jones' bargain Naxos disc, which includes a couple of rarities)
and Dvořák, in particular, should
feel quite at home with it.
The Oak is a twelve minute tone poem which is
probably the least characteristic piece on this disc, in that it shows
the least reference to African-American folk music. It is nevertheless
highly listenable. However, I would say that Price really comes into
her own on the remaining two works. The Mississippi River Suite
is based very much on the spirituals and folksongs of the black population
of America's south, including Go Down Moses, Nobody Knows
The Trouble I've Seen and the immortal Deep River. The latter,
in particular, never fails to move me whether played, as here, in orchestral
guise, arranged for choir by Michael Tippett or in Jascha Heifetz's
simple version for violin and piano accompaniment. My main criticism
of this piece, or rather this recording of it, is that it is twenty
seven minutes long with distinct if connected sections yet has no separate
cue points provided.
The concluding Symphony No.3 was written six
years after the other works on the disc and it does show in that it
is more concentrated in form, although it shares many of the inspirations
of the Mississippi Suite. It also contains one of Price's famous
Juba movements, a real upbeat, syncopated experience, not far
removed from the likes of Joplin or Gershwin. Florence Price has not
only been championed on this disc recently. Those who are collecting
Naxos American Classics may know that John McLaughlin Williams, who
conducted the Carpenter, McKay and wonderful H.K. Hadley discs, is also
a devotee. Let's hope Naxos have a volume of Price's music planned as
well. Finally, I should mention the excellent performance of The Women's
Philharmonic under Apo Hsu. This orchestra is not only a laudable idea,
it is also a great success in practice and happily the recording here
does them full justice.
Neil Horner
The Women's Philharmonic/Apo
Hsu