Joseph Joubert, Piano
Yaniv Dinur, Conductor
Jessie Montgomery: Banner
Florence Price: Andante Cantabile
Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson: Grass: Poem for Piano, Strings and Percussion
Adolphus Hailstork: Sonata da Chiesa
The NBSO is proud to collaborate with the New Bedford Historical Society to present Celebrating Black Culture on March 20th. The New Bedford Historical Society is dedicated to documenting and celebrating the history, legacy and presence of African Americans, Cape Verdeans, Native Americans, West Indians and other people of color in New Bedford. In the week leading up to the concert and at the concert itself, the NBSO and the NBHS will present interviews, videos, and other materials on New Bedford’s role in the Underground Railroad, the abolition movement, Frederick Douglass’ rise to prominence, and the Historical Society’s exciting Abolition Row Park project.
The concert program features four generations of leading African American composers, opening with Jessie Montgomery’s brilliant rendition of the national anthem interwoven with Lift Every Voice and Sing – often called the Black national anthem.
Florence Price’s Andante Cantabile is derived from the second movement of her string quartet, performed here in a version for string orchestra. A woman of color living in the Jim Crow era, Price was not only a great composer but also a symbol of perseverance against severe discrimination. She summed it up in a 1943 letter to Boston Symphony Music Director Serge Koussevitzky: “Unfortunately the work of a woman composer is preconceived by many to be light, froth, lacking in depth, logic and virility. Add to that the incident of race – I have Colored blood in my veins – and you will understand some of the difficulties that confront one in such a position.”
Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson’s Grass is an anti-war work for piano, strings and percussion. The piece is based on a poem by Carl Sandburg and refers to the grass growing on the tombs of soldiers. Joining us as soloist is pianist Joseph Joubert, who was the first to record the piece and who has received critical acclaim for his “uncommon tonal beauty.”
Adolphus Hailstork’s Sonata da Chiesa (Church Sonata) is a tribute to Baroque music and the composer’s fascination with cathedrals. It moves between exalting rhythms and reflective prayers, symbolizing the different stages of a religious service as well as of human life.
Exclusive Concert Sponsor: Robert B. Feingold & Associates, P. C.
More info: https://zeiterion.org/nbso-celebrating-black-culture/