A Celebration of Black Music I
About this event
»I, too, sing America«. With these powerful words, African American poet Langston Hughes expressed the right of Black people to be an equal part of American culture and society. As a member of the »Harlem Renaissance«, a dynamic movement initiated by African American artists in the 1920s, Hughes helped transform American arts and letters. With his deeply humanistic attitude, and through his intellect, sense of humour and integrity, he produced works that remain timeless and touching to this day. The concert programme »Langston Hughes: Singing Harlem in Europe« features musical settings of his texts by composers like Wilhelm Grosz, Florence Price and Leonard Bernstein, showing that humanity and truthfulness know no bounds – neither then, nor now.
In collaboration with the Hampsong Foundation.
Supported by the Kühne Foundation, the Hamburg Ministry of Culture and Media, Stiftung Elbphilharmonie and the Förderkreis Internationales Musikfest Hamburg.
This stream is available to watch until June 2, 2022.
Programme
1. Concert – approx. 90 min programme
Repertoire
1. Kurt Pahlen: Auch ich bin Amerika
2. Hermann Reutter: Trommel / from: Meine dunklen Hände
Lied für ein dunkles Mädchen »Wenn Susanna« / from: Meine dunklen Hände
3. Wilhelm Grosz: Afrika-Songs / cycle for soprano, baritone und piano, Op. 29 (selection)
4. Howard Swanson: Joy
Night Song
The Negro Speaks of Rivers
5. Florence B. Price: Bewilderment
6. Margaret Bonds: Three Dream Portraits
Songs of the Seasons
7. Robert Owens: In Time of Silver Rain, Op. 11/1Carolina Cabin, Op. 11/5
Desire, Op. 13/1
Mortal Storm, Op. 29
8. H. Leslie Adams: Prayer / from: Nightsongs
9. Andre Myers: Harlem Night Song
10. George Walker: In Time of Silver Rain
11. Hale Smith: March Moon / from: Beyond the Rim of Day
To a Little Lover-Lass, Dead
12. Harriette Davison Watkins: Troubled Woman
In Time of Silver Rain
13. Richard Thompson: The Negro Speaks of Rivers / from: Dream Variations
Black Pierrot / from: Dream Variations
14. Brandon J. Spencer: Dream Variation
15. Damien Sneed: I Dream a World
16. Leonard Bernstein: I, Too, Sing America / from: Songfest
This performance was filmed at the Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg, Germany.
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