John Jeter’s Third Naxos Florence Price Album

Photograph portrait of Florence Price from the University of Arkansas Special Collections (courtesy of Naxos of America)

Today marks the third release of orchestral music by Florence Price in the Naxos American Classics series. The conductor for these releases has been John Jeter, but each album has a different ensemble. The first release presented the Fort Smith Symphony performing two of Price’s symphonies: the first in E minor (which had been performed here in San Francisco by the Bay Area Rainbow Symphony in March of 2019) and the fourth in D minor, which was a world premiere recording. This was followed by an album of the third symphony in C minor performed by the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, which also included two tone poems, “The Mississippi River” and “Ethiopia’s Shadow in America.” My understanding is that, as of this writing, there is not yet a performance edition of the second symphony.

On the new release Jeter conducts the Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen in Germany. It begins with two concert overtures composed in 1939 and 1943, respectively. Both of these compositions consist primarily of thematic material based on spirituals. These tracks are followed by two tone poems composed in 1943, the world premiere recording of “Songs of the Oak” and “The Oak.” The album then concludes with world premiere recordings of four short dances, none of which have yet been assigned a date of composition.

Those that have been hesitant in listening to the symphonies may feel more comfortable with the familiarity of thematic material on this new album. In addition, like her D minor (second) violin concerto, which Randall Goosby performed with the San Francisco Symphony this past September, these shorter selections provide further evidence of Price’s imaginative approaches to instrumentation. Some may try to dismiss this new release as a “pops” album. I would prefer to suggest that these shorter selections prepare the attentive listener for Price’s longer-duration compositions, particularly those with multiple movements. Personally, I have to say that every encounter with her music, whether in a concert performance or on a recording, has been an engaging experience of discovery.