Guest
In 1933, Florence Price’s Symphony No. 1 was the first symphonic work by a Black woman to be played by a major American orchestra. Steeped in American folk music, spirituals, and church hymns, Price’s celebrated work reflects her experience as a Black woman raised in the post-Civil War South. Commissioned by the Federal Music Project at the height of the Great Depression, Florence Price composed her Third Symphony in the midst of the Chicago Renaissance, a powerful backdrop for writers and artists including Langston Hughes, Richard Wright, and Margaret Bonds. Price's engaging Third Symphony reflects her growth as a composer, taking more risks, adding modern techniques, and expanding emotional elements as compared to her more traditional First Symphony. The 2 symphonies, played by the Philadelphia Orchestra and conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin, were recorded in Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia in early 2021. Yannick Nézet-Seguin & The Philadelphia Orchestra – Price:
