WorldView Episode 49: Adolphus Hailstork
Episode forty-nine of WorldView features four works by only one artist: American composer Adolphus Hailstork. The works, “Symphony No. 1”, “An American Port of Call”, “Whitman’s Journey”, and “Three Spirituals”, are some of Hailstork’s most well-known compositions.
Adolphus Cunningham Hailstork III was born in Rochester, New York, in 1941. He studied various instruments at a young age before completing a degree in composition from Howard University in 1963. In the summer of that year, Hailstork traveled to France to study with composer Nadia Boulanger; he later returned to the states and earned degrees in various musical fields at both Michigan State University and the Manhattan School of Music. Six decades later and still active as a composer, Hailstork has also received a Fulbright scholarship and been named a Virginia Cultural Laureate.
A writer of choral, band, and symphonic works, Hailstork is known for his diverse style of composition. In a 2020 interview with the San Francisco Classical Voice, Hailstork stated that “I’m pretty eclectic; I’m multistylistic, all the names you want to use, they all fit.” The composer has also discussed the connections in his music to both his Native American and African American heritage. At age 81, Hailstork resides in Norfolk, Virginia, and area that has been inspirational to his compositions.
In this episode, the Virginia Symphony Orchestra and Chorus perform various works by Adolphus Hailstork, conducted by JoAnn Falletta. Hailstork wrote his first symphony in 1987, only two years after the popular “An American Port of Call”. “Port of Call” is designed to capture the mood and energy of an American port city, and was modeled after the port of Norfolk, Virginia. “Whitman’s Journey”, performed with the Virginia Symphony Chorus and baritone Kevin Deas, includes selections from various Whitman poems; lastly, “Three Spirituals”, a work based on three traditional songs, was completed in 2005. Enjoy!
WorldView Episode Forty-Nine Playlist:
“Symphony No. 1”, “An American Port of Call”, “Whitman’s Journey”, “Three Spirituals”, {Virginia Symphony Orchestra, JoAnn Falletta, Virginia Symphony Chorus, Kevin Deas (bar)} - Naxos
WorldView is a classical music radio show featuring composers from everywhere in the world - except Western Europe. Tune in to hear works by lesser-known artists such as Nancy Dalberg and Isang Yun, and widen your knowledge of classical music. Hinke Younger hosts each week’s episode of WorldView on Mondays at 9AM and 6PM (with a rebroadcast Saturdays at 2PM) on Charlottesvilleclassical.org.