The world premiere of Dett’s Magnolia Suite Part Two: No. 4 ‘Mammy’features in a concert showcasing new research as part of the Diverse Composers scheme run by Radio 3 and the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)
BBC Radio 3 in Concert: Rediscovered Composers
Friday 4 November live at 7:30pm and on BBC Sounds
- Live from MediaCity Salford, the BBC Philharmonic conducted by Ben Gernon performs a programme including UK premieres by Joseph Bologne Chevalier de Saint-Georges, Isaac Hirshow, Kikuko Kanai, Ali Osman and Julia Perry
- The live performance on Radio 3 in Concert is the result of BBC Radio 3 and AHRC’s collaboration to fund academic research into historical classical composers from diverse ethnic backgrounds.
On Friday 4 November, Radio 3 broadcasts the world premiere of Robert Nathaniel Dett’s Magnolia Suite Part Two: No. 4 ‘Mammy’in its orchestral arrangement.
Dett’s orchestral score – handwritten by the composer – was found in the archives at Eastman School of Music, in Rochester, New York, by performer, conductor and academic Dwight Pile-Gray. He then transcribed and edited the piece, preparing it for its world premiere. The work already exists as a solo piano version, which has already been performed and recorded.
About the orchestral score for Magnolia Suite Part Two: No. 4 ‘Mammy’, Dwight Pile-Gray says: “This piece, I think, shows the nature of Nathaniel Dett’s compositional style. The arrangement for this small chamber orchestra allows us to experience his talent for melody and, importantly, rhythm, which for him was equally important. He was greatly influenced by piano salon music of the time, and this piece, a lullaby, is rich in tonal colour. This arrangement allows us to experience those colours with a fresh perspective.”
Dett’s rediscovered score will receive its first ever performance at MediaCity Salford as part of the second live instalment showcasing the results of a two-year collaboration between Radio 3 and the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). Launched in Autumn 2020, the collaboration aims to expand the breadth and diversity of the classical music canon, recognising and celebrating Black, Asian and ethnically diverse composers across the centuries. Pile-Gray is one of the seven researchers who were awarded funding in Spring 2021, and since then have shined a light on pieces of music rarely performed, and often not commercially recorded.
Introduced by Linton Stephens, the live performance on Radio 3 in Concert also features a string of UK premieres: Joseph Bologne Chevalier de Saint-Georges’s Sinfonia concertante in B flat Op. 6 No. 2 with violinists Midori Sugiyama and Lisa Obert, Julia Perry’s Piano Concerto No. 2 – in 2 speeds with BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist pianist Kunal Lahiry, Ali Osman’s From the South with Alex Jakeman on flute, and Kikuko Kanai’s Ryūkyū where the Deigo flowers blossom. In the interval, Radio 3 listeners can hear Isaac Hirshow’s choral pieces Shlof mayn kind and Kol Gojim, with the BBC Singers joined by tenor Ruairi Bowen and conductor Adrian Partington.
Alan Davey, BBC Radio 3 Controller, says: “At Radio 3 we strive to make classical music as inspiring for listeners of as many backgrounds as possible – whether they are lovers of the art form or experiencing it in concert or broadcast for the first time. We are therefore immensely grateful for our partnership with the colleagues at the Arts and Humanities Research Council. Thanks to this collaboration and the research of the seven brilliant academics we jointly support, we can broadcast works by figures who have been unfairly neglected for too long, and take the first steps towards a more inclusive repertoire by rediscovering, performing and showcasing their important and vital works.”
Professor Christopher Smith, AHRC Executive Chair, says: “Music belongs to us all, and it is composed, played and enjoyed across the world. It is easy though to think that some genres belong to particular people, classes, or times. This research has shown that this isn’t the reality and that we must not forget diversity in the development of a canon of works and composers. AHRC is proud to partner with BBC Radio 3 to bring forward composers who have been overlooked, and return their works to the repertoire, so that we can celebrate and enjoy them long into the future.”
The world premiere of Dett’s Magnolia Suite Part Two: No. 4 ‘Mammy’features in a concert showcasing new research as part of the Diverse Composers scheme run by Radio 3 and the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)
BBC Radio 3 in Concert: Rediscovered Composers
Friday 4 November live at 7:30pm and on BBC Sounds
- Live from MediaCity Salford, the BBC Philharmonic conducted by Ben Gernon performs a programme including UK premieres by Joseph Bologne Chevalier de Saint-Georges, Isaac Hirshow, Kikuko Kanai, Ali Osman and Julia Perry
- The live performance on Radio 3 in Concert is the result of BBC Radio 3 and AHRC’s collaboration to fund academic research into historical classical composers from diverse ethnic backgrounds.
On Friday 4 November, Radio 3 broadcasts the world premiere of Robert Nathaniel Dett’s Magnolia Suite Part Two: No. 4 ‘Mammy’in its orchestral arrangement.
Dett’s orchestral score – handwritten by the composer – was found in the archives at Eastman School of Music, in Rochester, New York, by performer, conductor and academic Dwight Pile-Gray. He then transcribed and edited the piece, preparing it for its world premiere. The work already exists as a solo piano version, which has already been performed and recorded.
About the orchestral score for Magnolia Suite Part Two: No. 4 ‘Mammy’, Dwight Pile-Gray says: “This piece, I think, shows the nature of Nathaniel Dett’s compositional style. The arrangement for this small chamber orchestra allows us to experience his talent for melody and, importantly, rhythm, which for him was equally important. He was greatly influenced by piano salon music of the time, and this piece, a lullaby, is rich in tonal colour. This arrangement allows us to experience those colours with a fresh perspective.”
Dett’s rediscovered score will receive its first ever performance at MediaCity Salford as part of the second live instalment showcasing the results of a two-year collaboration between Radio 3 and the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). Launched in Autumn 2020, the collaboration aims to expand the breadth and diversity of the classical music canon, recognising and celebrating Black, Asian and ethnically diverse composers across the centuries. Pile-Gray is one of the seven researchers who were awarded funding in Spring 2021, and since then have shined a light on pieces of music rarely performed, and often not commercially recorded.
Introduced by Linton Stephens, the live performance on Radio 3 in Concert also features a string of UK premieres: Joseph Bologne Chevalier de Saint-Georges’s Sinfonia concertante in B flat Op. 6 No. 2 with violinists Midori Sugiyama and Lisa Obert, Julia Perry’s Piano Concerto No. 2 – in 2 speeds with BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist pianist Kunal Lahiry, Ali Osman’s From the South with Alex Jakeman on flute, and Kikuko Kanai’s Ryūkyū where the Deigo flowers blossom. In the interval, Radio 3 listeners can hear Isaac Hirshow’s choral pieces Shlof mayn kind and Kol Gojim, with the BBC Singers joined by tenor Ruairi Bowen and conductor Adrian Partington.
Alan Davey, BBC Radio 3 Controller, says: “At Radio 3 we strive to make classical music as inspiring for listeners of as many backgrounds as possible – whether they are lovers of the art form or experiencing it in concert or broadcast for the first time. We are therefore immensely grateful for our partnership with the colleagues at the Arts and Humanities Research Council. Thanks to this collaboration and the research of the seven brilliant academics we jointly support, we can broadcast works by figures who have been unfairly neglected for too long, and take the first steps towards a more inclusive repertoire by rediscovering, performing and showcasing their important and vital works.”
Professor Christopher Smith, AHRC Executive Chair, says: “Music belongs to us all, and it is composed, played and enjoyed across the world. It is easy though to think that some genres belong to particular people, classes, or times. This research has shown that this isn’t the reality and that we must not forget diversity in the development of a canon of works and composers. AHRC is proud to partner with BBC Radio 3 to bring forward composers who have been overlooked, and return their works to the repertoire, so that we can celebrate and enjoy them long into the future.”