Black Composer Series - The Complete Album Collection

Package received on time and in good condition. This enjoyable collection features well known and lesser known composers from the African diaspora and includes works composed in North America, South America, and Europe from the 1700s through the 20th century. A 23 page booklet provides an overview of the collection (symphonies, a requiem mass, concerti, and a symphonie concertante). A magnifier will be needed to read the very small print of the liner notes of each disc.

Agreeing with all the others who have noted the magnificence of the music, my only criticism is that the dsic jackets were shrunk versions of the original vinyl making the liner notes impossible for me to read even with a magnifying glass. Too bad that the notes could not have been posted somewhere on the web.

Highly recommend. Trying to find all these on LP was a labor of frustration.

So happy to have this collection. My father bought a few of these albums for me when i was kid in the 70's. Great to see that it still has life.

The best series.

i like everything about this collection- compositions,performances,packaging and, yes, the concept.i am happy to have it in my collection! it is enlightening.

Music that should be heard from names that should be known, and/or vice versa.

Birthday gift, recipient LOVED it!

Released back in the 1970s (on vinyl, of course), this was a ground-breaking release featuring music by black composers. While it seemed at the time somewhat awkward having to identify composers as black to get attention to the release, buying these LPs back then introduced me to some interesting music and some composers I knew next-to-nothing (or nothing) about. Releasing these works on a CD box set (at a very good price) is both a landmark and an acknowledgement of some of these composer's skills for a new generation to enjoy.There are ten discs in the box (I had only five of them on LP) with CD covers reproducing the album artwork. Alas, there's little information about the composers and their works: a booklet is included but more details would have been welcome! Some of these composers have achieved a level of fame in the current era they did not enjoy back when these discs were released, which is good, but there's still a level of ignorance about many of the composers represented here (and I was as ignorant as many, even owning the original releases).There's some wonderful music here, and it touches on so many genres it's impossible to not be entranced by any of it. A few of these composer's works led me to research more about their repertoire, but there's precious little available on current recordings, unfortunately. Across the ten discs, there's bound to be content you like (and maybe content you don't), but the price of this box, and the potential discovery of some unknown gems, makes this a must-have for any classical music fan.

Voici un très bon coffret avec un livret contenant un petit texte de présentation pas désagréable à lire et surtout 10 disques de musique rarement jouée qu'on prend plaisir à découvrir, et parfois à réécouter, vendu à un prix vraiment modique.L'anecdotique se situe surtout sur le premier disque consacré au Chevalier de St-Georges, qui sonne à mes oreilles comme du classique écrit au kilomètre, aucune mélodie qui ne ressorte réellement, et sur le disque bonus de "gospel symphonique" où les parties parlées sur fond orchestral sont plus nombreuses que les parties chantées ou que les parties orchestrales seules, ou alors c'est que mes oreilles se sont bien trop ennuyées pour en retenir autre chose.Les œuvres essentielles sont pour moi la symphonie afro-américaine de William Grant Still, qui pousse les audaces de Gershwin plus loin jusqu'à rendre un orchestre apte à jouer du blues, le concerto pour violon de Roque Cordero, toujours propulsif et tendu, et l'étonnant concerto pour violon de José White, mélodieux comme du Mendelssohn, romantique comme du Schumann, et toujours virtuose. Selon moi, il mériterait d'être plus souvent joué, comme celui de Roslavets, écrit dans un autre langage. Très belle sonate de David Baker pour violoncelle et piano sur le même disque que le concerto de José White aussi. La suite africaine de Fela Sowande est très agréable à écouter, dans le haut du panier de ce coffret, un vrai bonheur rythmique et mélodique.Deux compositions expérimentales intéressantes, "Akwan" d'Olly Woodrow Wilson et "Markings" d'Ulysses Simpson Kay, plairont aux amateurs de Schoenberg, de Stockhausen ou de Pierre Boulez. Le concerto pour piano de George Walker me fait penser à un Stravinsky plus motorique, et il n'est pas difficile de se plonger dans son atmosphère haletante.Enfin, mention au volume 5 qui comporte uniquement une "Messe de Requiem" par José Mauricio Nunes Garcia, qui est au "Requiem" de Mozart ce que "Liar, Liar" des Castaways est au "Satisfaction" des Rolling Stones : la version garage d'un classique reconnu qui offre ses propres plaisirs. Le musicien est moins doué techniquement, mais il compense par une grande conviction et aussi, paradoxalement, par son amateurisme. Une exception dans ce coffret qui vous fera découvrir un bon nombre d'œuvres qui ne sont pas le fait de "compositeurs noirs", mais simplement d'individus doués.

Un descubrimiento. Muy recomendable para todo el que esté dispuesto a ampliar su conocimiento de la historia de la música clásica.