American composer William Grant Still’s chamber music naturally is of a more intimate, inward style than his better known symphonies (such as the “Afro-American”). This is particularly true of the Lyric Quartet, which, along with Summerland, luxuriates in gentle, pastoral strains that may remind you of early 20th century British string music. The following Danzas De Panama explodes this bucolic mood with the percussive Tamborito that (like the concluding Cumbia y Congo) has the players striking and tapping their instruments. The Prince and the Mermaid presents Still in a more harmonically exotic vein, as does the quasi-impressionistic Pastorela for violin and piano.
However, the most interesting works on the disc are the Selections from Little Folk Suites (featuring a string arrangement of the popular spiritual Wade in the Water), along with Blues and Quit Dat Fool’nish for violin and piano. These last present the composer’s unique and inventive distillation of European classical techniques through Black American popular vernacular. The Oregon String Quartet, Victor Steinhardt, and Fritz Gearhart all bring to their performances a loving dedication and a spirit of discovery. The recordings, made under the auspices of the Oregon Festival of American Music, present the musicians in a natural-sounding acoustic. A worthy and engaging sampling of Still’s work. [10/24/2002]
