Monday, February 11, 2013

'ANTHOLOGY: The Black Composers Series' by Dominique-René de Lerma

Black Composers Series; Detroit Symphony Orchestra; Paul Freeman, Conductor; Natalie Hinderas, Piano; Sanford Allen, Violin; Sony Music DSO-1111 (2002)  [Re-release of part of original CBS Black Composers Series on LP]

Dr. Dominique-René de Lerma writes:


ANTHOLOGY - The Black Composers Series

Columbia Records' The Black composer series.

It was about 1971 that Paul Freeman came to see me in Bloomington, where I was on the faculty of Indiana University.  He had become aware of my work in the history, while he was well aware of the major contemporary figures, having already featured their works while on the staff of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.  Now he was with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and was interested in exploring the past of Black classical music.
What evolved was a plan to initiate a series of recordings covering a spectrum of orchestral music.  Such a project needed funding and a non-profit channel to distribute these funds.   We had a very promising meeting with the Irwin-Sweeney-Miller foundation in Columbus IN and I enlisted Indiana University's School of Music to sponsor the projected grant. Unfortunately, Indiana's interest was short-lived due to campus politics and Dr. Freeman was notified in Detroit by phone that the school was no longer interested (while I could have been given the news by a short walk to my office, if not by campus phone).  Had Indiana University known that we had then enlisted the interest in the world's largest record label, Columbia, some thought might have been given at least to image.  At any rate, Dr. Freeman phoned me immediately, concerned that the impending grant lacked an agency.  I suggested contact with the Afro-American Music Opportunities Association, a newly formed organization in Minneapolis without a significant agenda, and this instantly became our replacement.
The intent was to produce four LPs per year, in an open-ended series.  That pattern was effective for only two years.  The third year only one recording was issued and Columbia's doors were closed -- despite the consistently enthusiastic reviews that blanketed all of American musical journals and newspapers.
Use of European orchestras was in part an economic move.  The regulations of the American Federation of Musicians at the time required the engagement of the entire orchestra, no matter the instrumentation of the work in question.  Their rules further influenced the choice in that they required any American who was to conduct a European orchestra to have a title with that group.  This news was brought to a meeting we had at Columbia by John Hammond, who stated that Aaron Copland had just been fined for a violation of the ruling.  Dr. Freeman, beaming, announced that he had just been engaged as Guest Conductor with the Helsinki Philharmonic.  Had that not been the case, we were contemplating the recording of the Nunes García Requiem in the country of its origin -- Brazil -- if not with an orchestra in Spain or Portugal. But no matter, we had decided on the chorus from Morgan State University, which had recently excelled under Nathan Carter's direction at a symposium we held in Baltimore.
The series soon went out of print after Columbia's interest ended, until the College Music Society secured funding from the Ford Foundation for reissue of the entire set.  Ford's proviso was that no additional profits were to be made by the reissue of the nine albums, and Columbia agreed -- but only for LP release, not for issue on the new CD format.
These recordings were made available to the public, with a reduced price for College Music Society members, presented in a boxed set with the cover illustration by Dr. David Driscoll, and for which I wrote new liner notes.  In all orchestral instances, Dr. Freeman was the conductor.

Columbia M-32781 (1973); volume 1
Saint-Georges: Symphony concertante, op. 13 (ed. by Barry S. Brook; Miriam Fried, Jaime Laredo, violins; London Symphony Orchestra)
            -----:  Symphony no. 1 (ed. by D. de Lerma; London Symphony Orchestra)
-----:  Scena from Ernestine (ed. by D. de Lerma; Faye Robinson, soprano; London Symphony Orchestra)
            -----:  String quartet no. 1 (ed. by D. de Lerma; Juilliard Quartet)

Columbia M-32782 (1973); volume 2
William Grant Still: Afro-American symphony.
----:  2 arias from Highway 1, U.S.A. (London Symphony Orchestra; William Brown, tenor)
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: Danse nègre.
-----: "Onaway, awake, beloved" from Hiawatha's wedding feast (William Brown, tenor; London Symphony Orchestra)

Columbia M-32783 (1974); volume 3
            Ulysses Kay: Markings (London Symphony Orchestra)
George Walker: Trombone concerto (Denis Wick, trombone; London Symphony Orchestra)

Columbia M-32784 (1974); volume 4
Roque Cordero: Violin concerto (Sanford Allen, violin; Detroit Symphony Orchestra)
            -----:  Eight miniatures (Detroit Symphony Orchestra)

Columbia M-33421 (1975); volume 5
José Maurício Nunes-Garcia: Requiem Mass, M. 185 (ed. by D. de Lerma; Doralene Davis, soprano; Betty Allen, mezzo-soprano; William Brown, tenor; Matti Tuloisela, bass-baritone; Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra; Morgan State University Choir [Nathan Carter, director])

Columbia M-33432 (1975); volume 6
José White: Violin concerto (ed. by Paul Glass and Kermit Moore; Aaron Rosand, violin; London Symphony Orchestra)
            David Baker: Cello sonata (Janós Starker, cello; Alain Planès, piano)

Columbia M-33433 (1975); volume 7
William Grant Still: Sahdji (London Symphony Orchestra; Morgan State University Choir [Nathan Carter, director])
            Fela Sowande: African suite (3 excerpts; London Symphony Orchestra)
            George Walker: Lyric for strings (London Symphony Orchestra)

Columbia M-33434 (1975); volume 8
Olly Wilson: Akwan (Richard Bunger, piano; Baltimore Symphony Orchestra; Richard Bunger, piano)
            Thomas Jefferson Anderson: Squares (Baltimore Symphony Orchestra)
            Talib Rasul Hakim: Visions of Ishwara (Baltimore Symphony Orchestra)

Columbia M-34556 (1978); volume 9
George Walker: Piano concerto (Natalie Hinderas, piano; Detroit Symphony Orchestra)
            Hale Smith: Ritual and incantations (Detroit Symphony Orchestra)
            Adolphus Hailstork: Celebration! (Detroit Symphony Orchestra)

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Dominique-René de Lerma


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