Ravinia 2023 Issue 3

R.D. TONES (PRICE) DANISH STRING QUARTET The Danish String Quartet celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2022–23 as it continues to assert its preeminence among the world’s chamber ensembles. Named Musical Ameri- ca ’s Ensemble of the Year for 2020, the four- some was formed when the musicians were in their teens, and they were initially mentored by Tim Frederiksen of Copenhagen’s Royal Danish Academy of Music. Even before being named BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists in 2013 and Bowers Program (formerly CMS Two) members by Lincoln Center, the Dan- ish Quartet received the Carl Nielsen Prize, Denmark’s highest cultural honor. They subsequently received an award from the Borletti-Buitoni Trust in 2016 and a Gram- my nomination in 2018 for the first album in their five-part PRISM series—an exploration of symbiotic musical and contextual rela- tionships between Bach fugues, Beethoven string quartets, and works by Shostakovich, Schnittke, Bartok, Mendelssohn, and We- bern—which concluded with their latest re- lease on ECM in April. The Danish Quartet earned further acclaim for their two discs of traditional Scandinavian folk music, Wood Works (2014) and Last Leaf (2017)—the lat- ter being named to “top classical albums of the year” lists by NPR, Spotify, and the New York Times , among others—and anticipate releasing a third during 2023. During the 2022–23 concert season, the quartet has been in residence at London’s Wigmore Hall and is playing 28 concerts across North America over three separate tours. The Danish Quartet also continues its “Doppelgänger” series, an ambitious four-year international commis- sioning project—supported by Carnegie Hall, Cal Performances, University of California– Santa Barbara Arts & Lectures, Vancouver Recital Society, Flagey in Brussels, and Muz- iekgebouw in Amsterdam—that pairs world premieres with late major chamber works by Schubert. The latest work, Rituals by Anna Thorvaldsdottir, was premiered at Carnegie Hall in April and will be reprised at Tangle- wood in August, the Muziekgebouw in Sep- tember, and Flagey in October. The Danish String Quartet made its Ravinia debut in 2017 and is making its first return to the festival. PAVILION 8:00 PM FRIDAY, JULY 28, 2023 CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA MEI-ANN CHEN , conductor JEREMY DENK, piano # PRICE Ethiopia’s Shadow in America ** The Arrival of the Negro in America when first brought here as a slave (Introduction and Allegretto) His Resignation and Faith (Andante) His Adaptation (Allegro) — A fusion of his native and acquired impulses BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 4 Allegro moderato Andante con moto [ attacca ] Rondo: Vivace Jeremy Denk –Intermission– COPLAND Symphony No. 3 Molto moderato, with simple expression Allegro molto Andantino quasi allegretto [ attacca ] Molto deliberato (Fanfare)—Allegro risoluto # Ravinia Steans Music Institute alum ** First performance by the CSO and at Ravinia Ravinia expresses its appreciation for the generous support of Season Sponsor the Hunter Family Foundation . FLORENCE PRICE (1887–1953) Ethiopia’s Shadow in America Scored for two flutes and piccolo, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, four percussionists (I. small suspended cymbal, woodblock; II. snare drum; III. bass drum; IV. Glockenspiel, xylophone, crash cymbals), celesta, and strings In the wake of racial hostilities in Little Rock, AR, many members of the Black community joined the Great Migration to northern cities. Thomas and Florence Price followed the path to Chicago, relocating permanently in 1928 with their two daughters, Florence Louise and Edith Cassandra. Chicago offered famil- iar surroundings to Florence, who had spent the summers of 1926 and 1927 furthering her music education at the Chicago Musical Col- lege Summer Master School, with a primary emphasis on composition. After settling in the city, she received a scholarship in 1929 to study orchestration at the American Conser- vatory of Music and pursued courses in liber- al arts and languages at Chicago Teachers College and the University of Chicago. Price developed into a prolific composer of piano teaching pieces for children, and she also amassed a substantial catalog of popu- lar song and spiritual arrangements. A highly accomplished keyboard player, she quickly earned respect as one of the most accom- plished silent-film organists on “The Stroll,” a zone of nightclubs, cabarets, dance halls, the- aters, and cafés on State Street between 26th and 39th Streets. Her husband, by contrast, struggled to establish himself in Chicago as a lawyer. An angry streak escalated into verbal and physical abuse. Florence filed for divorce, which the judge granted on January 19, 1931. Price’s personal turmoil coincided with an extraordinary creative outpouring, including initial sketches for a symphony. Incentive to complete this score emerged one year later when The Crisis (February 1932), the mag- azine of the NAACP, announced the Fifth Florence Price (ca.1933) RAVINIA MAGAZINE • JULY 17 – JULY 30, 2023 40 . . I