Wouldn't life be boring if we all liked the same thing, yet another Beethoven or Mozart recording! I remember the bad old days of recorded music retail when the reps would try to sell the usual repertoire on the flimsiest of recommendations. How wonderful it was when labels such as Hyperion and CPO, released some real discoveries which now enlighten my collection and musical taste! Yes, there is a place for standard repertoire, but surely there is more of a case for the likes of Florence Price, it might not be as wonderful as a well known masterpiece, but it deserves to be known, as it is only through recordings of this rare repertoire that the listener can make up their mind, I for one think, that whilst not masterpieces, the symphonies of Price serve as a historic testement to the development of American music, and in particular that of black composers, and has some enjoyable sections which deserve to be heard!
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Of course the second one demurs regarding the quality of this music, one is open to being accused of every "ism" in the book - but that's the point: one suspects that it is being promoted primarily as a virtue-signalling exercise - or perhaps, more mildly, for its historical interest and significance - but in fact having done the same as MB I must agree that the music is rather commonplace and uninteresting.
Just as I am completely indifferent to a composer's moral character, I do not care about his - or her - identity regarding gender, race etc. Just one question: is the music any good - or rather, do I enjoy it?
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Thanks, Nick Barnard, for having the courage to prick the Florence Price bubble. I have listened to all three recorded symphonies several times over and, by and large, find them not merely conservative but dull. I’m a great lover of neglected romantics but really these works, the ‘jubas’ perhaps aside, hardly deserve the fuss, much less the praise bestowed on them. As for a Gramophone Recording of the Month, well, words fail me...
