Artist: Ragazze Quartet
Album: But Not My Soul: Price, Dvořák & Giddens
Genre: Classical
Release Date: 2024
Audio Format:: FLAC (tracks) 24 bit, 192 kHz
Duration: 01:00:51
Total Tracks: 9
Total Size: 2,06 GB

Tracklist:

01. Ragazze Quartet – Price: String Quartet No. 2 in A Minor: I. Moderato (14:19)
02. Ragazze Quartet – Price: String Quartet No. 2 in A Minor: II. Andante cantabile (06:39)
03. Ragazze Quartet – Price: String Quartet No. 2 in A Minor: III. Juba – Allegro (04:20)
04. Ragazze Quartet – Price: String Quartet No. 2 in A Minor: IV. Finale – Allegro (06:09)
05. Ragazze Quartet – Dvořák: String Quartet No. 12 in F Major, Op. 96 “American”: I. Allegro ma non troppo (09:29)
06. Ragazze Quartet – Dvořák: String Quartet No. 12 in F Major, Op. 96 “American”: II. Lento (06:57)
07. Ragazze Quartet – Dvořák: String Quartet No. 12 in F Major, Op. 96 “American”: III. Molto vivace (03:53)
08. Ragazze Quartet – Dvořák: String Quartet No. 12 in F Major, Op. 96 “American”: IV. Finale. Vivace ma non troppo (05:20)
09. Ragazze Quartet – Giddens: At the Purchaser’s Option (Arr. for String Quartet by Jacob Garchik) (03:43)

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Ragazze Quartet perform works by two female composers Rhiannon Giddens (*1977) and Florence Price (1887-1953), combined with the ‘American’ String Quartet No.12 by Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904). Florence Price was the first African-American woman to be recognized for her symphonies, yet her music was forgotten for many years. Her String Quartet No.2 is a mix of European romanticism, her ‘Southern’ roots, the emerging blues and African-American spirituals. The title of the album derives from a song Rhiannon Giddens wrote after seeing a 19th-century advertisement for a 22-year-old female slave whose 9-month-old baby was also for sale, but ‘at the purchaser’s option’. One of the lines of the song is: “You can take my blood. But not my soul.” The string quartet arrangement was made by Jacob Garchik in 2016, commissioned by the Kronos Quartet’s ‘50 For The Future’ project. Ragazze Quartet: “This album is a tribute to composers who, despite opposition, have always remained true to their soul. Although our own souls may not directly be related to the work songs of African slaves, Czech folk music, or African-American spirituals, we want to contribute to making their voices, souls and music heard.”