Gregory ROSE: Orchestral Music
The English composer and conductor Gregory Rose (b. 1948) here presents a programme of some of his recent orchestral compositions, prefaced by a 90th-birthday tribute to Aaron Copland. Many of these pieces show the influence of Stravinsky in their angular melodies, brittle harmony, hieratic gestures and fondness for dance. Rose’s Violin Concerto, a single span of nine interlocking episodes, has a similar sense of implicit drama: it casts the soloist as the central character whom the instruments of the orchestra engage in dialogue as the work progresses.
Peter Sheppard Skærved, violin (Tracks 7-17, 23)
Royal Ballet Sinfonia
Gregory Rose, conductor
Listen To This Recording:
-
Birthday Ode for Aaron Copland (1990)
- Birthday Ode for Aaron Copland
- I Valles Marineris
- II Syrtis Major
- III Olympus Mons
- IV Sirenum Fossae
- V Ascraeus Mons
- Introduction –
- Episode 1: Calm –
- Episode 2: Fast –
- Episode 3: Fragile –
- Episode 4: Aggressive –
- Episode 5: Meditative –
- Episode 6: Agitated –
- Episode 7: Fast and Restless –
- Episode 8: Pensive –
- Episode 9: Fast and Restless –
- Cadenza and Coda
- I Prélude
- II Vite
- III Chant
- IV Très fort
- V Finale
- I Dance One
- II Dance Two
- III Dance Three
- IV Dance Four
- V Dance Five
- VI Dance Six
- VII Dance Seven
Red Planet (2014, rev. 2019)
Violin Concerto (2017)
Suite pour Cordes (2017)
Seven Dances from Danse macabre (2011)
FIRST RECORDINGS
Gramophone :
‘Although his prowess as a choral conductor has long been recognised (his performances with Singcircle of Stockhausen’s Stimmung resonate 35 years on), Gregory Rose had not received his due as a composer until the redoubtable Toccata Classics took up his cause. This third disc focuses on his orchestral output… . Anyone for whom imagination and pragmatism can coexist without compromise will find much to enjoy and intrigue here. … Sound and booklet notes leave nothing to be desired, making this an admirable follow-up to earlier Toccata releases and one that those new to Rose’s music certainly need to investigate.’
—Richard Whitehouse, Gramophone (July 2020)
MusicWeb International :
The Royal Ballet Sinfonia do the composer proud throughout while Toccata’s sound pulls no punches. […] Admirers of Toccata’s series dedicated to this composer need not hesitate; other fans of new British music will find plenty to turn their heads.’
—Richard Hanlon, MusicWeb International
Colin’s Column :
‘As centrepiece is his Violin Concerto (2017), a continuous score (albeit sporting an Introduction, Nine Episodes, and a Cadenza and Coda) that is played with superb commitment by Peter Sheppard Skærved. It’s a fascinating creation of intertwining ideas that needs a few listens to fully appreciate the design of the whole and the interactions of any moment.
Ergo, that’s the beauty of a recording, to re-boot a piece as often as you like, especially when, as here, the composer is conducting a responsive Royal Ballet Sinfonia in top-notch accounts, the sound is splendid, and the annotations are typically generous and informative.’
—Colin Anderson, Colin’s Column
Modern Music Review :
‘[The violin concerto] is a capital /M/ High Modern tour de force that needs to be heard and explored as it is in this fine performance with soloist Peter Sheppard Skaerved taking on the Promethean role with heroic fervor and poetic grace. It is a concerto that deserves to be more widely performed, surely. […]
In the end this is a very attractive, exciting volume of what Rose is up to. It confirms him as a 21st century original with a lot to say and a sure sense of how to get the orchestra to say it.
Gregory Rose is the real thing. This volume presages more excellent things to come. Do listen. Highly recommended.’
—Grego Applegate Edwards, Modern Music Review
Classical Source :
‘All approachable if not obvious, for there is a decided whimsical/experimental/improvisatory quality, slightly Stockhausen-ish in concept, that may be found engaging or something of a conundrum; music of suggestion that can be dance-like, if sometimes angular…the composer is conducting a responsive Royal Ballet Sinfonia in top-notch accounts, the sound is splendid, and the annotations are generous and informative.’
—Classical Source