New York Youth Symphony (CD review)

Works by Florence Price, Valerie Coleman, and Jessie Montgomery. Price: Ethiopia’s Shadow in America; Coleman: Umoja: Anthem of Unity for orchestra; Price: Piano Concerto in One Movement; Montgomery: Soul Force. Michelle Cann, piano; Michael Repper, New York Youth Symphony. AVIE AV2503.

This is a remarkable recording for at least three reasons that jump immediately to mind. First, of course, is the music. Not long ago, Florence Price would have been considered an unknown composer, but over the past year or two (pretty much coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic, curiously and morbidly enough) her music has begun to attract attention and there have been some excellent recordings of some of her compositions recently, a couple of which I reviewed here: https://classicalcandor.blogspot.com/2022/04/recent-releases-no-27-cd-reviews.html,

On this new release, there are two pieces by Price, but there also two much more recent compositions by two living composers, Valerie Coleman (b. 1970) and Jessie Montgomery (b. 1981).

The next reason is the orchestra, a remarkable group of young musicians. The New York Youth Symphony was founded in 1963 not only to provide opportunities for young musicians but also to bring music to the greater New York community and provide a vehicle for composers to get their compositions played. According to the liner notes: “Though its First Music program, NYYS has commissioned and premiered over 100 works by American composers and received 15 ASCAP awards for Adventuresome Programming.” Of course we should also recognize their conductor, Michael Repper, who has led them since 2017 and sees as his mission to use music as a vehicle for positive change within communities, and the piano soloist, Michelle Cann, who has been a champion of the music of Florence Price.   

Finally, there is the way the recording was made, which was not typical of an orchestral recording. It was recorded in November 2020, as the grim reality of COVID-19 was beginning to really sink in. The musicians and engineers were bound and determined to make this recording, but at the same time, equally bound and determined to do so as safely as possible. That meant that the sessions simply could not be conducted as they normally would, with the orchestra assembled together in the same space. Following social distancing guidelines, it just wasn’t going to work. As a result, they devised a plan to record the album in pieces, so to speak, with different section of the orchestra recording their parts at different times, playing against a “click track,” and then mixing down the various tracks into the final master from which the CD was produced. There is a brief video available on YouTube that offers an overview of the process:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8ZzMfFBOa8&t=183s

The recording was produced by the industry veteran Judith Sherman, who also had a hand in the engineering, editing, and mixing. Over her career she has been nominated for a Grammy 17 times, winning 12 of them, most recently earlier in 2022 for Classical Music Producer of the Year. The recording team (Isaiah Abolin, lead recording engineer; Neal Shaw, Teng Chen, Joe Cilento, assistant engineers; Jeanne Velonis, production assistant; Sherman, John Kilgore, Velonis, editing; Kilgore, Sherman, Repper, editing; Sherman, Velonis, mastering) did a highly believable job of assembling a convincing whole from the separate parts. Bill Heck and I have had several discussion about how contemporary digital recording technology offers such a powerful, flexible tool for capturing the sound of musical performance when wielded by engineers who really know what they are doing, which is clearly the case here.

The excellent engineering is evident early in the program as we are treated to a bit of Telarc-style bass in the colorful opening measures of Florence Price’s Ethiopia’s Shadow in America. Despite the recording have been made by mixing multiple tracks together, the background is dead silent. As the piece continues, various sections of the orchestra get their turn to shine, with exuberant phrases being tossed back and forth from woodwinds to strings, then to brass, with percussion also given their chance to join in the fun. If you’ve not heard this piece before, you are in for a treat. Next up is Umoja (Swahili for “Unity”) by Valerie Coleman (b. 1971), which was originally composed as a song for women’s choir, later rearranged for wind quintet, and now rearranged once again for orchestra as presented here. From the mysterious opening, with its sense of “space music,” the music seems to unfold itself into something grand and very American-sounding, heroic in its sweep and vision. Although Price’s Piano Concerto in One Movement is so titled, there really can be heard three distinct movements or sections, it’s just that they are played without pause. The piece opens with trumpet, then the piano, with the music taking on a wistful, longing feeling. The second movement is lyrical and melodic, while the third movement is infused with rhythmic energy. The more I listen to this composition, the more I begin to think that it might be my favorite of Price’s works. The program closes with Soul Force by  Jessie Montgomery (b. 1981), a work in one movement that according to the composer “attempts to portray the notion of a voice that struggles to be heard beyond the shackles of oppression… Drawing on elements of popular African-American musical styles such as big-band jazz, funk, hip-hop and R+B, the piece pays homage to the cultural contributions, the many voices, which have risen against aggressive forces to create an indispensable cultural place. I have drawn the work’s title from 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.’” The music starts with percussion, then brass, with strings and winds getting their turn as the music unfolds. For all its syncopated energy – and there is plenty – the music is remarkable in never losing its dignity.

Dr. Samantha Ege of Oxford University, a leading scholar of the music of Florence Price who is also a concert pianist who has played and recorded some of Price’s music has contributed some brief liner notes. Combined with the excellent engineering and interesting program (not just another recording of Beethoven symphonies – as much as we all love Beethoven, it is always nice to have something new and different), it all adds up to a new release that is well worth seeking out for a good listen.

KWN