Pianist Lara Downes offers the latest release in her series “Rising Sun Music,” presenting works by Black composers spanning nearly 200 years and reflecting a stunning array of musical voices that redefine the American canon. On “Spring Fever,” Downes celebrates the season when everything begins again, when new life is born, and new hope stirs. Three of the works are by living composers, including a world-premiere recording of Nkeiru Okoye’s When Young Spring Comes composed for Downes and the series, Alvin Singleton’s minimalist piece Changing Faces, and H. Leslie Adams’ L’extase d’amour performed with violist Jordan Bak. The fourth work is Spring Intermezzo by Betty Jackson King, who shared stylistic similarities with Margaret Bonds.
Lara Downes: Spring Fever
