Arnold Rosner: Chamber Music
The musical language of the New York-based Arnold Rosner (1945–2013) clothes the modal harmony and rhythm of pre-Baroque polyphony in rich Romantic colours, producing a style that is instantly recognisable and immediately appealing. These four chamber works, all receiving their first recordings, embrace a wide range of emotions, from tragic nobility to buoyant good humour, with Rosner’s use of modality adding a hint of the Orient.
Curtis Macomber, violin Tracks 1–3
Maxine Neuman, cello Tracks 4–7, 11–13
David Richmond, bassoon Tracks 8–10
Margaret Kampmeier, piano Tracks 1-3
Carson Cooman, piano 8–10
Listen To This Recording:
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Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Piano, Op. 18 (1963; rev. 2004)
- I Allegro molto
- II Lento
- III Allegro
- No. 1 AÌ€ la Greque
- No. 2 Raga
- No. 3 Sarabande
- No. 4 Musique du Nord
- I Adagio
- II Allegro energico ma serioso
- III Lento
- I Adagio
- II Moderato, con rubato
- III Allegro
Danses à la mode, Op. 101 (1994)
Sonata for Bassoon and Piano, Op. 121 (2006)
Sonata No. 2 for Cello and Piano, Op. 89, La Divina Commedia (1990)
The Art Music Lounge :
‘An interesting and unusual disc, then, one that you will enjoy hearing.’
—Lynn René Bayley, The Art Music Lounge
MusicWeb International :
‘All the musicians here, including ubiquitous composer Carson Cooman, find empathy and sympathy for this music. They pour their hearts and technique into this often dourly beautiful music.
A strongly forward recorded image and a well informed and readable essay complete the picture.’
—Rob Barnett, MusicWeb International
Classical Net :
‘Walter Simmons, who has spent much of his life shining light on obscure corners of American music, has come up with a winning disc of chamber music by Arnold Rosner. […]
I love Rosner’s music, to me a heady blend of passion and intellect. […]
I don’t know why it should be so, but really good works for solo melody instruments run rare on the ground. […] Rosner’s Danses à la mode for solo cello belong to those few exceptional works that succeed. […]
Bassoonists don’t often get dedicated chamber music this musically complex or, frankly, this beautiful. […]
I’ve called Rosner’s first cello sonata a masterpiece. The second sonata lives up to the first. […]
I praise these performers. Rosner – to me, a bit like Brahms in this respect – presents many interpretive challenges, and all the players commit to championing the music. If I single out David Richmond and Carson Cooman in the Bassoon Sonata, it’s because I think that not only do they have the most difficult job in clarifying the music, but also because they go beyond to offer a highly dramatic reading.
If you want to hear an idiosyncratic take on tonality and a powerful individual voice with a mastery of rhetoric and architecture, give Rosner a try.’
—Steve Schwartz, Classical Net
WTJU :
‘The works are all well-recorded and well-performed. I especially enjoyed Maxine Neuman’s performance of the Danses a la Mode for Solo Cello. Her sensitive reading brings out subtle links between Rosner’s motifs.
If you’re a fan of Hovhaness, you should give Rosner a listen. If you’re not a fan, Rosner’s music deserves an audition. Each of his compositions is a world unto itself — one that invites the listener in and tarry a while. It’s an invitation I can’t resist.’
—Ralph Graves, WTJU
Fanfare :
‘Both the violin and the piano playing are extremely strong: free and expressive in lyrical passages, punchy and precise in more rhythmic passages. […]
The [Danses à la mode] as a whole is a virtuoso tour de force, and Maxine Neuman handles its demands with utter aplomb and consummate musicianship. […]
Again, [in the bassoon sonata] both instrumentalists do the piece exceptional justice from both a technical and emotional standpoint. […]
This recording is a must-have for anyone who appreciates traditionalist contemporary music and for anyone who appreciates the musical values of the pre-Baroque. Also, and most important, it’s deeply gratifying on an emotional level.
—Myron Silberstein, Fanfare
Art Music Lounge :
‘Yet within its own frame of reference, Rosner wrote music that was warm and loving […] none will bore you or cause you to lose interest in listening to them. […] I’ve said good things about Peggy Kampmeier’s pianism before, in her wonderful album of modern flute works with Tara Helen O’Commor, and it holds true here: she is a lively and engaging keyboardist who obviously loves what she plays.
The same can be said of cellist Maxine Neuman, who tosses off the Danses à la mode with energy and élan to spare. […]
Rosner’s [Bassoon sonata] has a somewhat softer contour here than the two works preceding it, and bassoonist David Richmond does a splendid job on it. […]
An interesting and unusual disc, then, one that you will enjoy hearing.’
—Lynn René Bayley, Art Music Lounge
Klassisk Musikk :
‘Den amerikanske komponisten Arnold Rosner (1945-2013) mÃ¥ jeg ærlig innrømme er et nytt navn for meg, sÃ¥ Toccata Classics’ ambassadørvirksomhet for denne musikken ønskes uforbeholdent velkommen, spesielt siden den – med disse fremførelsene – viser seg Ã¥ ha øyeblikkelig appell, samt variasjon i uttrykk og stemning. […]
Fagottsonaten (2006) var et av Rosners siste verk og er et av de mest dyptpløyende, ikke minst pÃ¥ grunn av satsinndelingen hurtig-langsomt-hurtig. […] Med tanke pÃ¥ det relativt begrensede repertoaret for instrumentet, er dette virkelig et funn, og David Richmond og Carson Cooman (Rosners arkivar og selv en profilert komponist) gjør en eksemplarisk fremførelse av den. Lyden er utmerket hele veien, kanskje vel nær for kammermusikken, og klar. En virkelig oppdagelse.’
English translation:
‘The American composer Arnold Rosner (1945-2013) is, I must honestly admit, a new name to me, so Toccata Classics’ ambassadorship of this music is wholeheartedly welcomed, especially since – with these performances – it proves to have immediate appeal, as well as variety in expression and mood. […]
The Bassoon Sonata (2006) was one of Rosner’s last works and is one of the most profound, not least because of the fast-slow-fast movement division. […] Considering the relatively limited repertoire for the instrument, this is truly a find, and David Richmond and Carson Cooman (Rosner’s archivist and himself a well-known composer) give an exemplary performance of it. The sound is excellent throughout, perhaps close to chamber music, and clear. A real discovery.’
—Guy Rickards, Klassisk Musikk