The more music one hears by Florence Price (1887-1953), the more familiar one becomes with her style and language. Because rediscovering her music is a fascinating experience! The courageous Price was the first African-American female composer in the 20th century to have a successful career. She was an accomplished musician – at the same time a virtuoso pianist and organist, a prolific composer and a respected teacher. Her stylistically extensive oeuvre comprises almost four hundred works. Her 1st Symphony was the first work by an African-American woman ever to be performed in a concert hall. The two overtures show her deep connections to the spiritual.

The first half of this Concert Overture No. 2 (1943) presents three miniature scenes in quick succession. Based on the spirituals “Go Down, Moses”, “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen” and “Ev’ry Time I Feel the Spirit”, the musical character of the work is very different: gloom meets enthusiasm. In the second part, the themes are interwoven until “Go Down, Moses” takes over at the end.

Dietmar Rainer has masterfully realised this transcription for symphonic wind orchestra as closely as possible to the original.