Orchestral works by Christopher Rouse. Intensely active. Wonderfully lyrical.
Raymond Bisha introduces a new release of orchestral music by American composer Christopher Rouse, who died in September 2019. It\u2019s 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 \u201cto be of use: to sing you a song, to paint you a picture, to tell you a story\u201d 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\u2019s\xa0Concerto for Orchestra\xa0is a \u2018hyper-concerto\u2019 that gives each player a chance to shine, while the mournful intimacy and passion of\xa0Supplica\xa0unfolds 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 \u201cbrilliant, exciting and at times hauntingly beautiful\u201d by\xa0The Dallas Morning News.