DAWSON: “Negro Folk Symphony.” American Symphony Orchestra...

DAWSON: “Negro Folk Symphony.” American Symphony Orchestra conducted by Leopold Stokowski. MCA Classics MCAD2-9826A (compact disc). This piece (1931, revised 1952), by the son of an Alabama field-hand, is the black man’s “New World” Symphony.” The digitally remastered performance conveys an often brooding yet ultimately joyous spirit, incorporating some folk themes and blues, often with the orchestral sound of Dvorak or MacDowell.