Keren Gray, Royal Scottish National Orchestra - African American Voices-Dawson, W.G.Still, G.Walker: K.Gray / Royal Scottish National O - Import CD

Credits:

Keren Gray, Royal Scottish National Orchestra

Description:

Two masterful symphonies by African-American composers are on this album by South Carolina-born African-American conductor Kellen Gray, who pays tribute to his country's forebears with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, of which he is assistant conductor, and paints a deeply sympathetic picture. The first African-American to achieve great success in both composition and performance, Still's "Afro-American" is a masterpiece that incorporates blues and Dixieland. The "Negro Folk Symphony" by Dawson, a contemporary of Still, also incorporates elements of Negro spirituals and was further revised in later years using African rhythms. Walker, the first African-American composer to win the Pulitzer Prize, originally titled "Lyric Poem," originally titled "Lament," is a beautiful work that, like Barber's "Adagio," was originally the middle movement of a string quartet. It is dedicated to his late grandmother. Naxos Japan

Tracklisting:

1.Negro Folk Symphony~The Bond of Africa
2.Negro Folk Symphony~Hope in the Night
3.Negro Folk Symphony~O, Le' Me Shine, Shine Like a Morning Star!
4.Lyric for Strings
5.Symphony No. 1 'Afro-American'~Longing: Moderato assai
6.Symphony No. 1 'Afro-American'~Sorrow: Adagio
7.Symphony No. 1 'Afro-American'~Humor: Animato
8.Symphony No. 1 'Afro-American'~Aspiration: Lento, con risoluzione

Keren Gray Collection List