WALKER Address for Orchestra. Overture: In Praise of Folly. Sinfonias: No. 1; No. 3. Hoopla (A Touch of Glee) • Ian Hobson, cond; Snf Varsovia • ALBANY TROY 1061 (62:18)

The music of George Theophilus Walker (b. 1922) is accessible, rhythmically defined, and ultimately life enhancing. Walker is a much-lauded composer in the U.S. Awards have been bestowed upon him by the barrel load, and he shines as a guiding light for black American composers.

The Address for Orchestra was Walker’s first major orchestral work, dating from 1958–59, and was recorded by the Oakland Youth Orchestra for Desto Records. Changing meter defines the character of the first movement, which is dynamic and contrapuntal; the brief slow movement is, in contrast, static and monothematic. The finale starts with a hushed introduction before the passacaglia of the movement proper kicks in. The curling, restless theme, over the course of 15 variations, gains in mettle and leads to a confident yet defiant climax. The Overture: In Praise of Folly, takes snippets from a variety of tunes (“America the Beautiful,” “A Tisket, a Tasket,” “Yankee Doodle,” and several others) and manipulates them. Note, not “plays” with them, as this is rather a serious work, rather densely scored at times.

The Sinfonia No. 1 dates from 1984 and is Walker’s second acknowledged work for orchestra (there is a “partially deleted” symphony from 1961, “partially” because its second movement was reused in the Serenata for Chamber Orchestra). The Sinfonia No. 1 is a mere 13 minutes long, a duration that, as the booklet notes put it, “can be attributed in part to the skimpiness of the commission fee.” The first movement is marked by its compression of thought; the second is a light Scherzo, played with real grace by the Sinfonia Varsovia.

Dating from 2003, the Third Sinfonia (premiered by the Dallas Symphony in 2004) has a first movement that is dissonant and tense and even at times tends towards the monumental. The theme of the central section of the sinfonia, stated expressively by oboe, encompasses all 12 notes of the total chromatic and bookends the movement. The short, six-minute Hoopla (A Touch of Glee) of 2005 that ends the disc adds a touch of fun, and contains a middle section with a fragment of a Fats Waller theme heard in augmentation.

All of these pieces have merit and reward listening, although listening to the disc in one sitting is not particularly recommended, despite the obviously careful planning. All of the compositions work best heard in isolation and on their own merits.

FANFARE: Colin Clarke