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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Symphony review: Masterworks 5 revitalizes our awareness of American history through spiritual melodies and the words of Martin Luther King Jr.

James Lowe conducts the Spokane Symphony in this undated handout photo.  (Courtesy)
By Larry Lapidus For The Spokesman-Review

In 1580, English Aristocrat Sir Philip Sidney wrote an essay titled “In Defense of Poesy.” In this text, he defends the value of poetry (and of the arts in general) as an effective way to instruct by combining serious, sometimes harsh truth with skillful, delightful invention. In his programming of the latest pair of concerts by the Spokane Symphony, the fifth in this season’s Masterworks series, Music Director James Lowe followed Sidney’s lead, reminding us that visiting the concert hall every so often is not a way of escaping the sometimes unpleasant realities of everyday life, but of clarifying and revitalizing our awareness and understanding of them, while enjoying ourselves greatly in the process.

Five of the six pieces on the program were written or arranged by American composers of the 20th century; the first item was by a German composer of the 19th century: Ludwig van Beethoven – the Overture to his opera “Fidelio” (1805). The modern works we heard were “New Morning for the World: Daybreak of Freedom” (1982) by Joseph Schwantner, three traditional Black spirituals arranged for unaccompanied chorus, and the “Negro Folk Symphony” (1934; revised 1952) by William Levi Dawson (1899-1990). In the Schwantner piece, the part of speaking the words of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was taken by Kitara Johnson-Jones. The three spirituals were performed by the Spokane Symphony Chorale conducted by their director, Meg Stohlmann.

While it might be thought an odd fit, in fact the “Fidelio Overture” proved an ideal choice to open the program for two reasons. First, it proved a link to the last Masterworks concert, “Beethoven vs. AI,” which demonstrated how much is lost when the element of human awareness (what Lowe terms “the value of the individual human soul”) is removed from the process of artistic creation. In keeping with this, one could describe the principal theme of this program as a celebration of the halting and gradual recognition of the equal value and dignity of the descendants of people brought to this country to, in the words of Dr. King, “work without pay” to those of all of their fellow citizens.

The plot of “Fidelio,” Beethoven’s only opera, has to do with the courageous struggle of Leonore to free her husband Florestan from the dismal Spanish prison in which he has been unjustly confined as punishment for voicing disagreement with a corrupt and repressive regime. One need not search very long to find moral links joining Florestan with the Birmingham Freedom Riders and King.

On the artistic level, the Fidelio Overture prepared the audience for a program that focused not on contemplation, but on action. In Lowe’s vigorous interpretation, the piece was a clarion call to set aside the petty issues that occupied us before we entered the theater and to concentrate on what imparts significance to our lives, that is, the effort we make to respect and improve the lives of others.

In his “New Morning for the World: Daybreak of Freedom,” Schwantner courageously took on the task of creating a musical setting worthy of some of the most eloquent public utterances in American history. Some of the power of King’s writings and speeches derived from his mastery of musical elements: rhythm, tempo and pitch. Significantly, Schwantner did not set the words to music, but relied on the speaker to take realize the musical elements inherent in the text, while he, the composer, provided reinforcement and response. We were fortunate in Lowe’s choice of Kitara Johnson-Jones as speaker. As a Black child raised on the South Side of Chicago, Johnson-Jones was encouraged by her mother to emulate the techniques of effective public speaking she heard in church on Sunday. She has gone on the employ those skills as the foundation of a career as a trainer and consultant to business and community organizations in matters of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging – a career that arguably could not have existed without the accomplishments of King and his colleagues.

The combination of Johnson-Jones’ powerful delivery, Schwantner’s skillful and sensitive setting, and the thrilling virtuosity of Lowe and the Spokane Symphony provided their audience with a deeply moving and impressive experience. Schwantner employs a hugely augmented orchestra to capture the energy that radiates from Dr. King’s prose, transforming it into sonic colors that allow us to experience and absorb it more fully and over a longer span of time.

While Schwantner chose not to employ traditional musical materials in the composition of “New Morning,” they play a crucial role in the make-up and significance of the major work in the second half of the program: Dawson’s “Negro Folk Symphony.” We were, therefore, given a chance to experience music traditional in African American culture before hearing the symphony, when the Spokane Symphony Chorale performed arrangements of two spirituals by Dawson himself and one by his teacher, the noted American composer, arranger and singer, Harry Burleigh (1866-1949), whose grandfather was a freed slave.

In keeping with the practice of the time, these three arrangements are artfully made, which poses the challenge to the chorus and its leader not to make them sound too sophisticated, and thus detached from their folk roots. Stohlmann and her chorus succeeded wonderfully in executing Dawson’s and Burleigh’s demanding nuances of harmony and dynamics, while conveying a freshness and sincerity of spirit that gave life to the historical and moral origins of the music.

In the title to Dawson’s symphony, the word “Folk” should be understood to refer to the historical and ethnic materials from which the composer drew both substance and inspiration. There is nothing remotely folklike about the compositional style of Dawson’s work. In every bar, it displays a thorough grounding in traditional (i.e. European) symphonic structure and orchestral technique. From the opening stoical-tragical incantation by the solo horn, so affectingly rendered by Principal Horn Clinton Webb, to the captivating passage for English horn, violin and cello, played by the redoubtable Sheila Armstrong (English horn), Mateusz Wolski (violin/concertmaster) and John Marshall (cello), Dawson treats the listener to an extravagant banquet of imaginative and delightful instrumental effects.

The orchestra under James Lowe parried each challenge with such poise one would think they were performing a work from the top of a list of repertory standards, not a little known and seldom heard orchestral work that depends on courageous champions to be brought to our attention.