Violin Concertos By Black Composers Through The Centuries
Cedille, 2022
9/10
Listen to Violin Concertos By Black Composers Through The Centuries
The Chicago resident Rachel Barton Pine brings her superb violin skills to the work of criminally overlooked black composers, and she takes help from the Encore Chamber Orchestra and The Royal Scottish National Orchestra.
Joseph Bologne and Chevalier deSaint-Georges’ “Violin Concerto in A major, Op. 5, No. 2” opens the listen with the flowing musicianship emitting so much warmth, melody and gracefulness, as the sweeping strings are full of intricate song craft. José White Lafitte’s ”Violin Concerto in F-sharp minor” follows, and brings a sublime intimacy that’s full of careful and stirring string manipulation.
The back half of the listen offers us the indeed emotive “Romance in Gmajor for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 39”, by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, which is quite poetic, and Florence Price’s “Violin Concerto No. 2” exits with initially firm drumming that segues into a soothing, cinematic quality.
Pine has enjoyed a career spanning 40 albums as an orchestral soloist, recitalist and chamber musician, and she’s picked up awards and charted along the way. A project destined to be among the best in her catalog of work, these interpretations are fleshed out flawlessly.
Travels well with: Julian Velasco- As We Are; Aznavoorian Duo- Gems From Armenia