Details

This new recording brings together violinist Gil Shaham, conductor Eric Jacobsen, and the Virginia Symphony Orchestra in a program exploring the violin concerto as a vehicle for cultural memory and continuity. The album pairs Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's Violin Concerto in G minor, Op. 80, and Antonn Dvork's Violin Concerto in A minor, Op. 53, with the world-premiere recording of "F. Harper," from The Famous People by Curtis Stewart. Coleridge-Taylor's concerto reveals a Romantic voice shaped by lyricism and rhythmic vitality, while Dvork's work reflects folk influence and communal musical expression. Stewart's F. Harper responds through a contemporary lens, engaging questions of naming, lineage, and identity. Inspired by the layered meanings of "Slavonic," the work draws parallels between European histories of enslavement and the ways Black Americans continue to shape pride and cultural legacy today. Together, these works connect past and present through sound.

Tracklist:

1. Coleridge-Taylor: Violin Concerto in G minor, Op.80I. Allegro maestoso
2. Coleridge-Taylor: Violin Concerto in G minor, Op.80II. Andante semplice - Andantino
3. Coleridge-Taylor: Violin Concerto in G minor, Op.80III. Allegro molto - Moderato
4. Dvork: Violin Concerto in A minor, Op. 53, B. 108 I. Allegro ma non troppo
5. Dvork: Violin Concerto in A minor, Op. 53, B. 108II. Adagio ma non troppo
6. Dvork: Violin Concerto in A minor, Op. 53, B. 108 III. Finale: Allegro giocoso ma non troppo
7. Stewart: The Famous People; 4
8. - F. Harper

UPC: 5060133300205
Label: Canary Classics
Release Date: 3.27.26
Format: CD