So, here it is, Bonds’ only surviving purely orchestral work getting a truly fine hearing. Its neglect was likely due both to the work being by a black woman, and the fact that it is a response to the 1963 Birmingham church bombing, a hate crime that killed four little girls. But this work was “lost” and was only rediscovered in 2017. The disc begins with Margaret Bonds’ “Montgomery Variations” (1964), a classical set of variations, in this case on a gospel tune, “I want Jesus to walk with me”. The four victims of the Birmingham Church bombing. Hearing these definitive performances will leave listeners wanting more as we get to hear some very exciting music that deserves at least a reckoning if not a place in the repertoire. It is this “not the usual suspects” angle that finds this enterprising conductor demonstrating his personal perspective and respect for music history. These are new commercial recordings of orchestral works by mid to late 20th century black composers, works of obvious substance that remain unjustly neglected. In this second volume we see more deeply the acumen of this conductor’s musical radar. But that was just the first volley in an exciting survey in progress. Gray demonstrates a depth of understanding for these works and his skills as a conductor were displayed well here. Nonetheless they are fine foundation on which to build this series. These are certainly great and foundational works that deserve a place in concert programs but these works have had at least some exposure via recordings. The first volume included early to mid twentieth century masterworks like William Levi Dawson’s 1934 “Negro Folksong Symphony”, William Grant Still’s First Symphony “Afro American” (1930), and George Walker’s “Lyric for Strings” (1946, orch 1990). Following in the footsteps of incisive conductors like Leopold Stokowski (1882-1977), Dean Dixon (1915-1976), and Paul Freeman (1936-2015) Gray is clearly a champion for contemporary music and is now into the second volume of what this listener hopes will be many more releases of substantive music by black composers whose work has lain fallow for reasons unrelated to quality. It is the (sometimes uncanny) ability of such gifted musicians to intelligently choose repertoire.Ĭonductor Kellen Gray demonstrates a keen sense of what music sounds good and also has the weight of substance. And that skill is what I like to call “musical radar”. But your humble reviewer has another, perhaps equally important reason for investing time and money in the work of a musician. For the humble listener, a musician’s technical and interpretive performance skills are one of the most compelling reasons to buy a concert ticket or a recording of said musician.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |