Florence Price (1887 -1953) - 2-6 March

[Serial_Apologist]

"[...] Florence Price was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1887 into a relatively well-off middle-class family, and at the age of four gave her first public recital as a pianist. Racial tensions were never far away, and when Florence was at university she changed her birthplace to Mexico. Her parents believed that her future career would be hampered when being identified as black, whereas it would be improved if she were considered of Spanish origin". (RT. P128)

From the snippett of orchestral music trailed just now, Florence Price comes across as a significant composer.

Episode 1:-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000fzdt

[Barbirollians]

"[...] Florence Price was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1887 into a relatively well-off middle-class family, and at the age of four gave her first public recital as a pianist. Racial tensions were never far away, and when Florence was at university she changed her birthplace to Mexico. Her parents believed that her future career would be hampered when being identified as black, whereas it would be improved if she were considered of Spanish origin". (RT. P128)

From the snippett of orchestral music trailed just now, Florence Price comes across as a significant composer.

Episode 1:-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000fzdt

There is a Naxos recording of her 1st and 4th symphonies on Naxos that I would recommend. I posted about them last year but nobody responded .

[Serial_Apologist]

There is a Naxos recording of her 1st and 4th symphonies on Naxos that I would recommend. I posted about them last year but nobody responded .

Her music is rather narrow in range and over-repetitive, it has to be said - reminds me somewhat of that of Constant Lambert in its eclecticism - a bit of Schumann here, Delius there. I can usually take listening to the music of a single composer for 3 hours if it is interesting enough; I love trifle occasionally, but this is rather like being fed on a diet of it.

[Barbirollians]

I definitely would only listen to one Symphony at a time .

[Bella Kemp]

I am hugely enjoying this series, but perhaps she falls into that category of composers such as Bax, Rubbra and Lennox Berkeley - deserving of a devoted minority following but never perhaps inspiring the masses.

[Serial_Apologist]

I am hugely enjoying this series, but perhaps she falls into that category of composers such as Bax, Rubbra and Lennox Berkeley - deserving of a devoted minority following but never perhaps inspiring the masses.

Actually the Bax comparison is relevant, same ballpark stylitically listening just now to her Third Symphony, but I think Bax would go down pretty well in massly inspiring terms were his music better known.

[Suffolkcoastal]

I was expecting something far more worthwhile when her first came to listen to her music, instead I was very disappointed, an opinion that hasn't changed sadly.