SoNA Presents Florence Price’s Quintet in A Minor
Virtual concert to be released online Thursday, February 25 at noon
SoNA is delighted to announce its upcoming release of the premiere recording of Florence Price’s Quintet in A Minor, recorded live from the breathtakingly beautiful Great Hall at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Ark.
Earlier this year, SoNA released movements 1 and 4 of this vibrant work as part of Crystal Bridges’ Van Cliburn New Year’s Day Concert. Now, SoNA will release the work in full, marking the first time a complete recording of the work has ever been released – representing a meaningful contribution to Price’s legacy.
As part of SoNA’s Reimagined Season, this free virtual concert will be released at 12 noon on February 25, 2021, via SoNA’s Facebook and YouTube channels, and here on SoNA’s website, where the recording will remain available for future viewing.
Born in 1887 in Little Rock, Ark., Florence Price is noted as the first African-American woman to be recognized as a symphonic composer; the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performed her Symphony in E Minor in 1933. Price’s musical language is firmly rooted in the classical European tradition, stylistically inspired by the legacy of Dvořák; however, her music is also heavily influenced by her spirituality and heritage through African-American spirituals and folk music. Price’s music is not simply a clever mix of those influences, but rather a bold reimagining and a statement of her own. Her goal was to encapsulate the present moment and the world around her.
Despite her prowess, after her death she swiftly faded into the background of an industry dominated by white men. However, in 2009, a collection of her manuscripts was rediscovered, and a reemergence of cultural awareness was fostered through efforts by the Fort Smith Symphony’s recording of Price’s Symphony No. 1 and No. 4. SoNA takes pride in our shared Arkansas heritage and is proud to continue to pay homage to Price’s artistry through this virtual concert.
“It’s hard to overstate how excited we are about this recording,” says SoNA Music Director Paul Haas said. “Florence Price’s astounding work is exciting enough, but the fact that her music has been unjustly ignored through all these years adds to the urgency of getting this piece out and into the ears of music lovers everywhere. I’m so proud, both of our musicians' incredible playing, and of SoNA itself for helping bring attention to this astonishingly gifted composer.”
“Despite extraordinary barriers for success in classical music faced by black women, despite living through the Great Depression, and despite many other challenges in her life, Florence Price never ceased being a visionary artist and a fierce advocate for her music,” adds SoNA Executive Director D. Riley Nicholson. “Price created a prolific artistic output and achieved many successes. But what is most remarkable is the music itself – even if you don’t know Price’s story, you will be captivated by her music’s vibrance, accessibility, authenticity and originality.”
Price’s Quintet in A Minor is performed in four movements and runs 25 minutes – featuring SoNA musicians Tomoko Kashiwagi, acting principal pianist; Zsolt Eder, associate concertmaster; Miho Oda Sakon, principal second violin; Jesse Collett, principal violist; and Kari Caldwell, principal cello. Given Price’s deep connection with her faith and the influence of spirituals in her music, this virtual concert program will also include the string quartet The Dove and Other Songs of Peace by Gwyneth Walker, movements 3 and 5, including a mix of arrangements of American folk music and spirituals as well as original music by Walker. The entire performance duration is approximately 40 minutes.
