I’ve been waiting for this set to be reissued for decades. DECADES.
Over 40 years after its original appearance, CBS Records’ landmark Black Composers Series has finally come to compact disc. Made under the direction of conductor Paul Freeman and employing world class orchestras and soloists, these recordings originally appeared on vinyl between 1974 and 1978, providing rare exposure to 200 years worth of neglected music at a time when most of it was essentially unknown.
Some of the composers have since benefited from the advocacy of others; a few of the pieces were rerecorded by Freeman in the digital era; but most of the music is still seldom, if ever, heard.
Sony Classical has reissued these invaluable documents as a boxed set, reproducing the series’ original cover art on the individual cardboard sleeves. There’s also a moderately informative booklet, and a bonus disc of spiritual arrangements by Hale Smith and others, also conducted by Freeman. That’s a lot to celebrate!
To coincide with #BlackHistoryMonth, we’ll hear highlights from this most exciting release, over a four-week period.
Tune in tonight for the first installment, featuring works by violinist, conductor, and master swordsman Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799), who led the first performances of Haydn’s “Paris” Symphonies; Olly Wilson (1937-1918), who established the first ever electronic music program at a conservatory, Oberlin; and Fela Sowande (1905-1987), who wrote concert music after traditions of his native Nigeria.
That’s “Black to the Future,” the return of CBS Records’ forward-looking Black Composer Series, Sunday nights in February at 10:00 EST, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.