American Woman

September 30, 2024, 1:46 pm

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black and white portrait of Margaret Bonds wearing white hat
Margaret Bonds

Cellist Juliana Soltis and pianist Ruoting Li champion women composers Mary Howe, Amy Beach, Margaret Bonds, Helen Crane, Dorothy Rudd Moore, and Florence Price.  The new album sheds light on a treasure trove of rarely heard gems of cello-piano literature. Helen Crane’s Six Idylls is of particular interest, and new to WFMT. Written in 1918, the Six Idylls for Cello and Piano, Op. 51 are redolent of the evolving musical styles Crane encountered while living and working in Berlin, including the influences of late Romanticism, the early Expressionists, and Modern era film scores.

Playlist

Mary Howe: “Ballade fantasque”
Amy Beach: Three Pieces: “La captive,” Berceuese, Mazurka
Margaret Bonds: Troubled Water
Helen Crane: Six Idylls, Op. 51
Florence Price: “Adoration”