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RGraves321
Posted January 4, 2013
American composer Adolphus Hailstork has been quietly building up an impressive catalog of well-crafted works. This new collection brings some of them to light.
Hailstork's Symphony No. 1 is an expansive work with plenty of energy. Hailstork's melodies are always tuneful and rhythmic, which makes this symphony sparkle. For the most part, the work's thinly orchestrated. In some ways it's more of a symphony of small instrumental groups rather than a big ensemble.
Whtiman's Journey is a large-scale work for orchestra and chorus. Whitman's a quintessentially American poet, and Hailstork's open, Coplanesque composition brings out that aspect of poetry. It's a warm, elegiac work that's a satisfying blend of words and music.
An American Port of Call shares some characteristics of William Walton's Portsmouith Point. both are short orchestral works depicting a busy seaport. Hailstork's composition has all the energy of a bustling waterfront, with different musical themes moving back and forth in crosscurrents. A splendid curtain-raiser.
Hailstork draws on his African-American heritage for Three Spirituals. Although there's some jazz inflections in this work, Three Spirituals is first and foremost a concert piece for orchestra. The melodies may be familiar, but Hailstork develops them in interesting ways that, while symphonic in nature, remain true to the character of the source material.
Fanfare on Amazing Grace is an imaginative treatment of this well-known (and perhaps over-performed hymn). The tune provides the starting point from which he builds a superstructure of original material, that reveals new insights about this melody.
Adolphus Hailstork lives in eastern Virginia. The Virginia Symphony, is a hometown ensemble, well familiar with Hailstork's music. Under the direction of JoAnn Falletta, this regional orchestra turns in credible performances. Sometimes the ensemble playing isn't as precise as it needs to be, but that's a minor quibble. It's a joy simply to hear these works played.
Editorial Reviews
All Music Guide - James Manheim
The music of composer Adolphus Hailstork tends to reflect his African-American heritage not in direct quotation of melodic or rhythmic material but in structural elaboration of features common in African-American tradition. When he does quote familiar materials, as in the "Three Spirituals" or "Fanfare on Amazing Grace" (both orchestral works) here, he treats them in unusual ways, assembling in the latter work, for instance, that most famous of all American hymns toward the end of the piece out of fragmentary introductory material. Hailstork is a stylistic conservative whose broadly appealing music incorporates a good deal of craft, and this collection from the Virginia ...