Florence Price - Choral Works (John Jeter)

Information

Composer: Florence Price

• Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight
• Song of Hope
• Weathers
• Poem of Praise
• Praise the Lord
• Wander-Thirst
• Summer Clouds
• Song for Snow
• The Witch of the Meadow
• The Moon Bridge
• Night
• Resignation

Sara Swietlicki, soprano

Lindsay Grace Johnson, mezzo-soprano

Jonas Samuelsson, baritone

Malmö Opera Chorus & Orchestra

John Jeter, conductor

Date: 2025

Label: Naxos

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Florence Price (1887-1953) had an abiding love of literature, setting poets affiliated with the Harlem Renaissance as well as Byron and Robert Frost, among others. Her largest choral work is Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight, which sets a poem published in 1914 imagining Lincoln surveying the modern world with dismay. Its chorale-like passages and fugal finale, allied to her use of spirituals, gives the cantata a thoughtful, sometimes introspective grandeur. Song of Hope, which uses Price’s own text, is an emotionally intense supplication that also draws on spirituals. Charming smaller settings devoted to the natural world, and two sacred numbers, complete the album.

John Jeter, Music Director and Conductor of the Fort Smith Symphony for 28 seasons, holds a Master’s in Orchestral Conducting from Butler University and a Bachelor’s in Music Theory and Piano from the Hartt School of Music. He has transformed the Fort Smith Symphony from a small community group into a regional orchestra with global recognition. Jeter is the only conductor to have recorded all known orchestral works by Florence Price, earning international critical acclaim. A strong advocate for education, he has facilitated around 75,000 live student interactions. He also has over 30 years’ experience as a classical music radio host and producer.

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