New York Youth Symphony - Florence Price - Ethiopia's Shadow in America - Soul Force (2022) [Official Digital Download]

The release coincides with the 115th anniversary of Price’s birth. Two recordings of works by Florence Price are firsts. Ethiopia's Shadow in America is the first recording of the work by an American orchestra. Her Piano Concerto in One Movement, with soloist Michelle Cann, is the premiere recording of the composer’s newly-discovered original orchestration. Price’s compositional voice blends the African American folk songs and dances of her heritage with the central European Romantic tradition in which she was trained. Her tone poem Ethiopia’s Shadow in America evokes the injustices experienced by people of African descent. Umoja – meaning "unity" in Swahili – by Grammy-nominated flutist, entrepreneur and composer Valerie Coleman originated as a simple song for women’s choir. Its transformation as a work for orchestra – given its first recording here – maintains its feel of a drum circle and sharing of history through a traditional “call and response” form. In her rich and colorful single-movement symphonic work Soul Force, Jessie Montgomery drew on Dr. Martin Luther King’s "I Have a Dream" speech in which he states, "We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force".

Track List:
[07:21] 01. New York Youth Symphony - Ethiopia's Shadow in America: I. The Arrival of the Negro in America When First Brought Here as a Slave
[03:03] 02. New York Youth Symphony - Ethiopia's Shadow in America: II. His Resignation and Faith
[03:19] 03. New York Youth Symphony - Ethiopia's Shadow in America: III. His Adaptation: A Fusion of His Native and Acquired Impulses
[13:28] 04. New York Youth Symphony - Umoja: Anthem of Unity
[17:05] 05. Michelle Cann - Piano Concerto in One Movement
[08:32] 06. New York Youth Symphony - Soul Force