Beyond Black and White

Perhaps the most celebrated freedom fighter in classical music was Beethoven. He makes several appearances in the series, as a friend to the black violinist George Bridgetower, as an inspiration to others, and simply as himself, a fiercely independent individual who resisted conformity with the protocols of Vienna in the early 19th century. The concerto-like grandeur and heroism of the ‘Kreutzer’ sonata tower over the 18th-century charm of Joseph Boulogne’s sonata for the salons of lords and ladies.

Two pieces by Black Americans of our time remind us that making music in the chamber sphere continues to represent the struggles of inclusion and exclusion, and between people, institutions and the world at large. William Grant Still was born in Mississippi and lived through segregation, the civil rights movement and beyond. Several of his pieces present the vision of an integrated American society. In the Suite for Violin and Piano, we hear influences of blues, spirituals and jazz integrated into the classical genre.

Jessie Montgomery is one of the most distinctive American classical voices of our time. Her music responds to themes of social and political turmoil, and articulates the need for an inner calm that people seek in a world in constant crisis. She writes about Peace for violin and piano: ‘I’m at a stage of making peace with sadness as it comes and goes like any other emotion. I’m learning to observe sadness for the first time not as a negative emotion, but as a necessary dynamic to the human experience’.

Programme

Joseph Boulogne, le Chevalier de Saint-Georges: Violin Sonata in G minor Op.1b No.3

Jessie Montgomery: Peace for violin and piano

William Grant Still: Suite for violin and piano

Interval

Beethoven: ‘Kreutzer’ Violin Sonata