Riccardo Muti presents two groundbreaking pieces by the first African American composers to have symphonic works performed by major orchestras. William Grant Still’s Mother and Child is a gentle, lilting work inspired by a painting by Sargent Johnson. Florence Price’s expressive Third Symphony gives a powerful voice to the African American experience. The first half includes Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony, a work of grace, subtlety and drive, whose smallest gestures have large implications. In honor of these special performances of Price’s Symphony No. 3, the CSO is presenting a panel discussion about this fascinating composer.