#ClassicsaDay #BlackHistoryMonth Week 4, 2025

February is Black History Month and a logical time to highlight contributions by people of color to classical music. Those contributions have been significant -- and not just in the past 50 years. 

This month's #ClassicsaDay challenge is to post musical examples of works by composers of color, or classical music recordings made by people of color. There is a lot to choose from. 

Here are my social media posts for the fourth and final week of #BlackHistoryMonth.

02/24/25 Margaret Bonds - Montgomery Variations

Bonds wrote this work in 1964. It's based on a spiritual, and depicts the major events of the Civil Rights Movement, beginning with the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott.

 

02/25/25 Clarence Cameron White: Bandana Sketches II & IV

White was a violinist and composer active in the early 20th century. The work features arrangements of four African-American spirituals and work songs.

 

08/26/25 Zenobia Powell Perry: Homage

"Homage" is a movement from "Piano Potpourri," written in 1990. Perry composed it in homage to Black composer William Dawson. "Homage" is often performed as a stand-alone piece.

 

02/27/25 Thomas Kerr: Riding to Town

The song uses the poem "Riding to Town" by Paul Laurence Dunbar. It was written in 1943 and was included in the "Anthology of Art Songs by Black American Composers."

 

08/28/25 Regina Harris Baiocchi: Communion

This work is a concertino for marimba and string quartet. It was inspired by the mural "Communion of the Saints" in St. Elizabeth Seaton Church, Naperville, IL. It was painted by Lillian Brulc.

 

Next month:

Colonna's Two-Choir Psalms: A Feast for the Ears

 

This release features words for two choirs. And it's a live recording from the St. Petronio Basilica. So we get to hear the music composed in the space Colonna intended it for. And that makes a difference. 

Colonna expertly mixes textures, ranging from solo voice to full unison. And the space is treated as an instrument. The reverberations are an integral part of the sound. Echoes harmonize with each other and with the performers.

The full, robust choruses are thrilling. They foreshadow those of Handel's oratorios. Michele Vannelli masterfully leads his musicians. These are terrific performances. The singers fill the space. And the instrumentalists provide the proper amount of support.

Colonna's counterpoint isn't as complex as Bach's. But it does point towards Handel's. It's clean and clear, even with the rich acoustic of the basilica. 

Glorious music, beautifully performed. It's one of the best Baroque choral albums I've heard in a while.

Giovanni Paolo Colonna: Caro Ardore Scro Amore
Concerted Psalms for Two Choirs and Orchestra
Coro e Orchestra Della Capella Musicale di S. Petronio
Ensemble Vocale "Color Temporis;" Michele Vannelli, maestro di cappella
Dynamic CDS8044

Karl Weigl Symphony Recalls Old Vienna

This is the third Capriccio release of Karl Weigl’s symphonies, and my response is simple: "More, please." Weigl began his career as Gustav Mahler's rehearsal conductor, and by 1930, he was teaching composition at the University of Vienna. But by 1938, his career would take a dramatic turn.

Weigl’s Jewish background meant his career ended when the Nazis took over Austria. In 1938, he emigrated to the United States, where he taught at the Boston Conservatory and the Philadelphia Music Academy. Throughout it all, he never forgot his beloved Vienna.

His Symphony No. 3 in B major, written in 1931, is a mature work with a grand, Mahlerian sound. But there’s also a touch of Wagner here. Weigl’s use of motifs weaves the entire 46-minute symphony into a cohesive, organic whole.

Also included is the Symphonic Prelude to a Tragedy from 1933. The word "symphonic" is key here. Weigl creates a sonic world filled with high drama and foreboding. Some passages reminded me of Richard Strauss, though Weigl’s aim is different—he’s not telling a story, but instead communicating a mood.

The Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, conducted by Jurgen Bruns, delivers a performance that meets expectations. These artists recorded the other Weigl symphonies, and Bruns’ interpretation stays true to form. Weigl was deeply influenced by the late-Romantic language of Mahler and Bruckner, and that’s precisely what Bruns emphasizes.

The ensemble’s sound is rich and full, with strong solo performances that make Weigl’s orchestrations truly sparkle. This is another excellent addition to the series. With only two symphonies left to record, I hope we’ll also get to hear some of his shorter works.

Karl Weigl: Symphony No. 3
Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz; Jurgen Bruns, conductor
Capriccio C5489

#ClassicsaDay #BlackHistoryMonth Week 3

February is Black History Month and a logical time to highlight contributions by people of color to classical music. Those contributions have been significant -- and not just in the past 50 years. 

This month's #ClassicsaDay challenge is to post musical examples of works by composers of color, or classical music recordings made by people of color. There is a lot to choose from. 

Here are my social media posts for the third week of #BlackHistoryMonth.

2/17/25 Adolphus Hailstork: Symphony No. 1

Hailstork has been a professor of music and the Composer-in-Residence at Norfolk State University, an HBCU. He composed his first symphony in 1988 for the Ocean Grove, NJ Summer Music Festival.

 

2/18/25 Ulysses Kay: Chariots - An Orchestral Rhapsody 1978

Kay's "Chariots" was commissioned by the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. It was premiered in 1978 with the Philadelphia Orchestra. The composer conducted the performance.

 

2/19/25 James Lee III: Shades of Unbroken Dreams (Piano Concerto)

Lee's Piano Concerto was premiered in 2023. It was written for the 60th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech. It reflects on how much (and how little) progress has been made since then.

 

2/20/25 Shawn Okpebholo: Zoom

Zoom was commissioned by the US Air Force Band which premiered it in 2021. The title refers not to speed, but to the software that connected people during the pandemic.

 

2/21/25 Alvin Singleton: In My Own Skin

this work was premiered in 2011. The work depicts the sometimes uneasy alliance between different creative worlds -- in this case, jazz and classical music.

 

Claudio Santoro Piano Sonatas Trace Composer's Growth

 Is it safe to purchase a recording without auditioning it first? When it comes to Naxos' Brazilian music series, I'd say yes. Produced in collaboration with Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this series successfully showcases the best of Brazil's classical music to the world.

This particular release is an outstanding example. It features the six piano sonatas of Claudio Santoro. And they're performed by his son, Alessandro Santoro.

Claudio Santoro was a major figure in Brazilian music and an internationally recognized composer. He studied with Nadia Boulanger, co-founded the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra, and created an extensive body of work.

His first sonata, Sonata 1942, is unnumbered and was written during his student years—though it is remarkably mature. In this piece, Santoro explores his interpretation of the 12-tone technique. While it isn't traditionally tonal, it maintains a strong sense of forward motion.

Three years later, he composed Piano Sonata No. 1, a more intricate work that applies tone rows in a more academic manner. However, it never feels like a dry intellectual exercise. Instead, it is an engaging and dynamic piece, full of surprises for the listener.

By the time he composed Piano Sonata No. 5 in 1988, Santoro had completed his stylistic evolution. The piece still features dissonances and thick textures. But here the complexity now stems from rich, yet distinctly tonal, harmonies.

Alessandro Santoro’s deep understanding of his father’s music is evident. These sonatas demand exceptional skill from the performer, and Alessandro delivers masterfully. His interpretations provide a clear and compelling insight into his father’s artistic vision. 

Claudio Santoro: Complete Piano Sonatas
Alessandro Santoro, piano
Naxos 8.574486