Coleman, V :: Suite: Portraits of Josephine

Coleman Page presents 'Suite: Portraits of Josephine' for wind quintet by composer Valerie Coleman. 

The composer writes, "'Portraits of Josephine Baker' is a musical memoir dedicated to the legendary expat entertainer from the Harlem Renaissance who lived in Paris. This version for woodwind quintet features short movements that chronologically describe the significant milestones, high and low, in Josephine Baker's life. 

"The first movement sets the scene of life in St. Louis, where musicians on a street corner hustle and play in the style of old St. Louis sound. Movement two, Les Milandes, is a short tone-poem that describes Les Milandes, a castle in Southern France that was Josephine's dream home. It is here that we see the famous picture of the evicted Josephine sitting on the steps of her home with nothing but a white robe and shower cap to her name. Movement three, Paris, 1925, marks the arrival of Josephine into Paris, as she happily gets off the boat with luggage in tow. I wanted to create a lively piece that showed the enthusiasm that Josephine had for Paris and the daring life of extravagance that she led. The fourth movement, Thank You, Josephine, is a short arrangement of Josephine's most famous song, J'ai Deux Amours."

Contents

• I. Ol' St. Louis
• II. Les Milandes
• III. Paris, 1925
• IV. Thank You, Josephine