Arnold Rosner: Orchestral Music, Volume Four
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. This fourth Toccata Classics album of his orchestral music opens with an engaging and energetic early Scherzo and a Concerto Grosso that has something of the dignified reserve of the Swiss composer Frank Martin, whom Rosner much admired – as the broadly expressive Variations on a Theme by Frank Martin go on to show. Rosner’s A My Lai Elegy, a symphonic poem inspired by a massacre of civilians in Vietnam, has few equals in the orchestral repertoire: it veers from profound sadness to wild, freewheeling anger – protest music at its grandest and most passionate.
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Nick Palmer, conductor
Listen To This Recording:
- Scherzo for Orchestra, Op. 29a (1964) (11:44)
Concerto Grosso, No. 2 Op. 74 (1979) (24:11)
- I. Lento – Allegro (8:51)
- II. Adagio (7:13)
- III. Allegro molto (8:07)
Variations on a Theme by Frank Martin, Op. 105 (1996) (18:51)
- Theme (1:12)
- Variation 1: Grazioso (2:17)
- Variation 2: Adagio (1:57)
- Variation 3: Allegro (3:45)
- Variation 4: Adagio (4:48)
- Variation 5: Allegro (4:52)
- Canzona Secundi Toni, Op. 63 (1975) (8:30)*
- A My Lai Elegy, Op. 51 (1971; rev. 1993) (25:42)
*Available on Digital Release Only
First Recordings
BBC Music Magazine :
‘Rosner’s soundworld is compellingly individual, with the rhythms and harmonies of Renaissance polyphony overlaid with exotic modalities and dissonances, all richly clothed in late-Romantic orchestration. the Concerto Grosso No.2 is Rosner’s own very particular take on neo-classicism, while the Variations on a Theme by Frank Martin evoke that composer’s haunting, rhythmically driven style.’
— BBC Music Magazine
Gramophone :
‘Arnold Rosner’s extraordinary Requiem was my Critic’s choice for 2020, the third volume of his orchestral works my pick the previous year; can Vol4 follow in their wake? Well, every chance! This is another fascinating programme, compelling and appealing in equal measure, superbly played by the London Philharmonic Orchestra- who sounds as if they have been playing this music all their lives (rather than just in occasional visits to the studio over the past 10 years) […]
The four works […] are fine examples of how he synthetized elements from the entire history of Western music into his unique personal style. […]
The Scherzo […] is a gem of a piece and would make a splendid concert opener. The Concerto grosso No.2 (1979) is another find, […], a work of real depth. The Variations on a Theme by Frak Martin is […] a beautifully crafted tribute to the Swiss master. […]
Very strongly recommended.’
—Guy Rickards Gramophone, May 2024