Orchestral works by Christopher Rouse. Intensely active. Wonderfully lyrical.
Jul 10, 2020
Raymond Bisha introduces a new release of orchestral music by American composer Christopher Rouse, who died in September 2019. It’s a fitting tribute to one who led the revitalisation of contemporary orchestral music with works that ranged from intensely active to wonderfully lyrical. As both a Pullitzer Prize and GRAMMY Award winner, his personal mission “to be of use: to sing you a song, to paint you a picture, to tell you a story” has resonated with audiences all over the world. The engaging programme on this release is brilliantly performed by the Nashville Symphony Orchestra and conductor Giancarlo Guerrero. Rouse’s Concerto for Orchestra is a ‘hyper-concerto’ that gives each player a chance to shine, while the mournful intimacy and passion of Supplica unfolds somewhat like the slow movement of a Bruckner or Mahler symphony. His Fifth Symphony blurs the lines between tradition and modernity and was described as “brilliant, exciting and at times hauntingly beautiful” by The Dallas Morning News.