Volume 2 of Cedille’s African Heritage Symphonic Series moves further into the 20th century, and like Columbia Records’ Black Composer’s series from the 1970s, features a number of living composers. Ulysses Kay’s (1917-95) brilliantly complex and modernist music tended to reflect his study with Paul Hindemith, so it’s surprising to encounter the light-hearted and populist Overture to Theater Set (1968), with its off-beat march rhythms and psuedo-jazz tunes. The mood shifts considerably for George Walker’s (b. 1922) Lyric for Strings, a tender and somewhat somber work that evokes memories of Barber’s Adagio for Strings.
In his Eight Miniatures for Small Orchestra, Roque Cordero (b. 1917) synthesizes the folk music of his native Panama through the 12-tone technique he learned during studies with Ernst Krenek, resulting in a curious yet intriguing amalgamation of Schoenbergian rigor and Caribbean playfulness. Hale Smith (b. 1925) uses idealized African drumming to create a mysterious backdrop for his symphonic poem Ritual and Incantations (1974). This darkly atmospheric and dramatically intense music easily could find a place in any modern suspense film. Adolphus Hailstork (b. 1941) contributes both An American Port of Call (1985), a whirlwind concert overture with a spunky jazz subtext, as well as Epitaph for a Man Who Dreamed, a tender, deeply felt memorial for Martin Luther King Jr., which ends the program in an air of hard-won grace.
Paul Freeman and the Chicago Sinfonietta’s idiomatic and highly polished performances bring each work vividly to life. It’s hard to imagine more committed or more ideally suited advocates for this exceptional and compelling music. The sound is excellent. Kudos to Cedille for engaging in this important project, and for bringing it off so handsomely.
