African-American composer William Grant Still's signature piece, Symphony No. 1 "Afro-American" is the only one of his many works that has seldom needed a recording. As such, it is a natural fit for Still's entry in the Naxos American Classics series. However, Naxos has gone the extra mile for Still, including a key work never heard on record before, his symphonic poem Africa written between 1924 and 1930. Despite a widespread performance history gained in the wake of a successful 1931 launch by the redoubtable Howard ...
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African-American composer William Grant Still's signature piece, Symphony No. 1 "Afro-American" is the only one of his many works that has seldom needed a recording. As such, it is a natural fit for Still's entry in the Naxos American Classics series. However, Naxos has gone the extra mile for Still, including a key work never heard on record before, his symphonic poem Africa written between 1924 and 1930. Despite a widespread performance history gained in the wake of a successful 1931 launch by the redoubtable Howard Hanson and the Rochester Symphony, Africa was never published and ultimately withdrawn from circulation. It is hard to imagine why, as Africa is musically so very accomplished and attractive. It does spring from an idealized view of Africa common to African-Americans of the day, as expressed in the movement titles: "Land of Peace," "Land of Romance," and "Land of Superstition." It wasn't until Baptist missionaries traveled to Africa that the continent's other sides became apparent -- a...
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