Price - Symphony No. 1 in E minor

Rec.:New Black Music Repertory Ensemble

    So this symphony by Florence Price is an interesting one historically, as it was the first symphony performed in the U.S. by an African-American woman. The music is definitely imbued with the sounds of her southern roots, but isn't merely settings folk songs. It is a full symphonic treatment in the spirit of Dvorak. Overall, I dug it quite a bit, although did find it a tad uneven.

    Although part of me hates comparing composers to more well known composers, it can help as a point of reference, and the first movement of the symphony does sound like it is a lost Dvorak movement in some ways. The use of folk music in a way that makes them sound natural as symphonic themes is present, and some of the orchestration reminded me of him as well. The form is easy to hear, and the themes are strong enough to notice it. I really like the orchestration in the first two movements especially.

    The second movement has a much more obviously American sound to it. There is a sense of hymn tunes and has little twinges of gospel music in it.

    The last two movements are a little underwhelming to me. They are more straightforward Americana settings, and are 4 and 5 minutes long, as compared to the 16 and 13 of the first two movements. One short movement sounds ok to break up a symphony, but having the length ratios off that much kind of just throws me off. The orchestration and thematic elements continue to impress, but seem to lack the depth of the first two movements. The piece is completely worth checking out though.

Tomorrow:Kimberly K. Archer No. 2