Joseph Schwantner: New Morning for the World; Nicolas Flagello: The Passion of Martin Luther King

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Joseph Schwantner: New Morning for the World; Nicolas Flagello: The Passion of Martin Luther King
Studio album by
Oregon Symphony
ReleasedJanuary 16, 1995 (1995-01-16)
RecordedSeptember 1994
VenueArlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Portland, Oregon
GenreClassical
Length58:54
LabelKoch International Classics
ProducerMichael Fine
Oregon Symphony chronology
Roman Festivals
(1993) 		Joseph Schwantner: New Morning for the World; Nicolas Flagello: The Passion of Martin Luther King
(1995) 		Centennial Collection
(1995)

Joseph Schwantner: New Morning for the World; Nicolas Flagello: The Passion of Martin Luther King[1] is a classical music album by the Oregon Symphony under the artistic direction of James DePreist, released by Koch International Classics in 1995.[2] Recorded at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland, Oregon, in September 1994, the album is a tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. and was released in his honor on the following holiday in his name.

The album features two works by American composers, each with text from

engineered by Fred Vogler, the recording reached a peak position of number three on Billboard
's Classical Albums chart and remains the Oregon Symphony's best-selling album as of 2013.

Composition

The album, 58 minutes and 54 seconds in length, contains two compositions:

engineered by Fred Vogler.[3] Coretta Scott King wrote the introduction for the album's liner notes.[3][4]

Works on the album feature text by Martin Luther King Jr. (pictured in 1964).

New Morning for the World, composed in 1982 on commission from AT&T,[4] premiered on January 15, 1983 (King's birthday) at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; David Effron conducted the Eastman Philharmonia, and Willie Stargell, then first baseman and team captain of the Pittsburgh Pirates, served as narrator.[3] Schwantner selected words from public speeches by King that spanned more than a decade of his life.[3] In the album's liner notes, program annotator and classical music radio host Jim Svejda described the work as having "equal parts" for the orchestra and the speaker, with King's words "supported and illuminated by an orchestra fabric of unusual variety and flexibility".[3] Music critics compared Schwantner's composition to Aaron Copland's Lincoln Portrait because of its prominent narrative passages and its "broad and lyrical scoring that sounds unmistakably American".[1][4][5] In describing the work, Melinda Bargreen of The Seattle Times wrote that percussion and "soaring" strings helped to emphasize King's orations.[1] New Morning for the World contains text from the following speeches and writings by King: "Stride Toward Freedom" (1958), "Behind the Selma March" (1965), and "Letter from Birmingham Jail" (1963); the composition ends with King's "I Have a Dream" speech.[1][3]

The Passion of Martin Luther King was composed in 1968 following

Naxos American Classics in 2012.[6] DePreist conducted the National Symphony Orchestra's first performance of the work at the Kennedy Center on February 19, 1974.[3][7] Music critics drew comparisons to Johann Sebastian Bach's Passions, which recounts Jesus' death.[1][4] The Oregon Symphony album was the first published recording of the work.[4] Bazemore provided bass vocals, with additional vocals by the Portland Symphonic Choir, directed by Bruce Browne.[1][3] The nine sections of the work are performed with a brief pause in between.[3]

Reception

Oregon Symphony conductor James DePreist being congratulated by President George W. Bush after receiving the National Medal of Arts in 2005

The album was released by

Martin Luther King Day.[8]
On the same day, more than 30 United States radio stations broadcast the album's version of New Morning for the World to commemorate King.[9] Martin Luther King III and Schwanter celebrated the album's release at Phipps Plaza in Atlanta. Proceeds from sales benefited the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change.[8]

The album received positive commercial and critical reception. It reached a peak position of number three on

Sun-Sentinel said both works were "well worth hearing" and encouraged orchestras to explore the pieces, along with works by other African-American composers, to provide the public with broader programming.[5] Smith described New Morning for the World as "remarkably lyrical" and "quite dramatic"; he found Bazemore's sing-song narration to be "too affected" but found the conclusion "touching" and complimented the orchestra for its overall "sturdy, communicative" performance.[5] Smith called Flagello's score "unabashedly romantic" and described as effective the work of Bazemore, DePreist and the orchestra.[5]

Track listing

  1. "New Morning for the World ("Daybreak of Freedom")" (Joseph Schwantner) – 23:27
The Passion of Martin Luther King (Nicolas Flagello)
  2. "Hosanna filio David" – 3:27
  3. "At the Center of Nonviolence" – 4:04
  4. "Cor Jesu" – 3:53
  5. "In the Struggle" – 5:25
  6. "Et flagellis subditum" – 3:08
  7. "Death is inevitable" – 3:48
  8. "Stabat Mater" – 5:22
  9. "We've Got Some Difficult Days Ahead" – 2:13
  10. "Finale" – 3:48

Track listing adapted from

Allmusic and the album's liner notes.[2][3]

Personnel

Credits adapted from Allmusic.[13]

Orchestra roster

  • Clarisse Atcherson – violin
  • Kenneth Baldwin – bass (assistant principal)
  • Aida Baker – violin
  • Warren Baker – trombone (principal) (tracks 2–10)
  • Lajos Balogh – violin (second, principal)
  • David Bamonte – trumpet*
  • Joseph Berger – horn (associate principal)
  • Bill Berman – viola*
  • Ronald Blessinger – violin
  • Naomi Blumberg – cello
  • David Bryan – trombone (principal)* (track 1)
  • Sigrid Clark – violin
  • Julie Coleman – violin (second)
  • John Cox – horn (principal)
  • Jennifer Craig – harp (principal)
  • Dolores D'Aigle – violin (second, assistant principal)
  • Juan de Gomar – bassoon (track 1)
  • Eileen Deiss – violin
  • Niel DePonte – percussion (principal)
  • Frank Diliberto – bass (principal)
  • Jonathan Dubay – violin
  • Greta Eder – violin
  • Cheri Ann Egbers – clarinet, librarian
  • Jack Elmore – trombone
  • Mark Eubanks – bassoon (principal)
  • Hugh Ewert – associate concertmaster, violin
  • Matthew Faust – violin (second)
  • Kenneth Finch – cello
  • Lynne Eisert Finch – violin (second)**
  • Marian Fox – viola
  • Michael Foxman – concertmaster, violin
  • Leah Frajola – violin (second)
  • Peter Frajola – assistant concertmaster, violin
  • Javier Gandara – horn (assistant principal)
  • Katherine George – keyboard (principal) (track 1)
  • Mary Grant – horn
  • Kathryn Gray – violin
  • Martha Herby – flute
  • Gyrid Hyde-Towle – violin (second)
  • Ginger Iles – violin (second)
  • India Jobelmann – cello (principal)
  • Jeffrey Johnson – bass
  • Eugene Kaza – violin (second)*
  • Mary Ann Coggins Kaza – orchestra personnel manager, violin
  • Frederick Korman – oboe (principal)
  • Sally Nelson Kuhns – trumpet (assistant principal)
  • Todd Kuhns – clarinet, E-flat clarinet/bass clarinet (track 1)
  • Eileen Lande – violin (second)
  • Harold Lawrence – cello
  • Steve Lawrence – percussion
  • Anne Leeder-Beesley – violin (second)
  • Tristan Lehnert – violin
  • Judith Litt – oboe
  • Jerome Magill – bass
  • Marlene Majovski – violin
  • Richard Mansfield – bass
  • Michelle Mathewson – viola* (track 1)
  • Phillip Murthe – bass
  • Audrey May – viola
  • Stephanie McDougal – cello
  • Patricia Miller – viola (assistant principal)*
  • Robert Naglee – bassoon
  • Yoshinori Nakao – clarinet (principal)
  • Catherine Noll – violin (second)
  • William Ofstad – bass
  • Gayle Budd O'Grady – cello
  • Harris Orem – English horn (track 1)
  • Barton Parker – horn
  • Christine Perry – percussion
  • Jeff Peyton – percussion* (track 1)
  • Alan Pierce – bass trombone
  • Deloris Plum – cello
  • Stephen Price – viola
  • John Richards – librarian, tuba (principal)
  • Georgeanne Ries – flute* (track 1), piccolo* (track 1)
  • Paul Salvatore – timpani (principal)
  • Fred Sautter – trumpet (principal)
  • Anna Schaum – viola
  • Timothy Scott – cello
  • Michael Sigell – violin (second)
  • Deborah Singer – violin
  • Bridget Socolofsky – cello
  • David Socolofsky – cello (assistant principal)
  • Tomáš Svoboda – keyboard*, organ (tracks 2–10), piano (track 1)
  • Peggy Swafford – viola
  • Tommy Thompson – bass
  • Randall Vemer – viola (principal)**
  • Martha Warrington – viola (principal)*
  • Dawn Weiss – flute (principal)
  • Connie Whelan – viola
  • Leo Whitlow – viola*
  • Ron Williams – violin
  • Carla Wilson – flute (track 1), piccolo

Orchestra roster adapted from the album's liner notes.[3]

"*" designates acting orchestra members; "**" designates musicians on a leave of absence.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^
    OCLC 9198928. Archived
    from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2013.
  2. ^
    Rovi Corporation. Archived
    from the original on February 8, 2016. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Svejda, Jim (1995). Joseph Schwantner: New Morning for the World; Nicolas Flagello: The Passion of Martin Luther King (booklet). Oregon Symphony. Koch International Classics.
  4. ^
    ISSN 0745-4724. Archived
    from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  5. ^
    ISSN 0744-8139. Archived
    from the original on September 15, 2015. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
  6. ISSN 0030-3607. Archived
    from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
  7. ^ "Biographical notes". Flagello.com. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
  8. ^
    ISSN 0006-2510. Archived
    from the original on June 29, 2016. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
  9. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived
    from the original on June 29, 2016. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
  10. ISSN 8750-1317. Archived
    from the original on December 4, 2011. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
  11. ^ "Oregon Symphony to Record American Repertoire". NewMusicBox. New Music USA. May 1, 2001. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
  12. ^ "Oregon Symphony: A Brief History". Oregon Symphony. Archived from the original on March 25, 2013. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
  13. ^ "Joseph Schwantner: New Morning for the World; Nicolas Flagello: The Passion of Martin Luther King: Credits". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on January 31, 2021. Retrieved February 22, 2013.

External links

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