Rosner: Requiem, Op. 59 London Philharmonic Orchestra & Nick Palmer

• Arnold Rosner (1945 - 2013): Requiem, Op. 59:
• 1 Requiem, Op. 59: I. Overture (The Seventh Seal) 11:17
• 2 Requiem, Op. 59: II. Recitative (Ein Wort, ein Satz) 03:28
• 3 Requiem, Op. 59: III. Toccata (Musica satanica) 05:08
• 4 Requiem, Op. 59: IV. Ballade (Les neiges d'antan) 06:15
• 5 Requiem, Op. 59: V. Sutra (Enmei jukku kannon gyo) 09:48
• 6 Requiem, Op. 59: VI. Madrigal (To All, to Each) 06:28
• 7 Requiem, Op. 59: VII. Organum (Lasciate ogni speranze) 05:56
• 8 Requiem, Op. 59: VIII. Prayer (Kaddish) 06:43
• 9 Requiem, Op. 59: IX. Passacaglia (Libera me) 08:55
• 10 Requiem, Op. 59: X. Und wieder Dunkel, ungeheuer 05:22
• Total Runtime 01:09:20

Info for Rosner: Requiem, Op. 59

Far from being a treatment of the usual Latin, the Requiem of the New York-based Arnold Rosner (1945–2013) sets spiritual and secular texts on death from a number of the world’s cultures, including Whitman, Villon, the Tibetan Book of the Dead, a sutra from Zen Buddhism and the Jewish Kaddish. The work of a young man (Rosner was 28 when he wrote it), this Requiem is both monumental and wildly energetic – but it also encompasses passages of transcendent beauty. His musical language clothes the modal harmony and rhythm of pre-Baroque polyphony in rich Romantic colors, producing a style that is instantly recognizable and immediately appealing. Some of the music was first written for an aborted operatic treatment of Ingmar Bergman’s film The Seventh Seal, where the main character plays chess with Death; in like spirit, Rosner’s Requiem is a major statement of human defiance in the face of mortality, even if its gentle closing pages bring uneasy acceptance.

Kelley Hollis, soprano
Feargal Mostyn-Williams, countertenor
Thomas Elwin, tenor
Gareth Brynmor John, baritone
Crouch End Festival Chorus
Davis Temple, conductor, Chorus master
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Nick Palmer, conductor

Nick Palmer
has been widely recognized for his compelling performances, visionary leadership and emotional connection to audiences and is regarded as one of the most talented symphonic and Pops conductors on the scene today.

Maestro Palmer — Music Director of the Lafayette Symphony in Indiana, the North Charleston POPS! in South Carolina, the Evening Under the Stars Music Festival in Massachusetts, and Principal Pops Conductor of the Altoona Symphony in Pennsylvania—was a recipient of the Helen M. Thompson Award from the League of American Orchestras as the nation’s most outstanding young music director.

Under Palmer’s direction since 2007, the LSO has experienced increased ticket sales, dynamic and creative programming, a marked development in educational programs and regional concerts, and dramatic artistic growth. Dick Jaeger commented in the Journal & Courier “without trepidation this reviewer is ready to state that the Lafayette Symphony Orchestra and conductor are setting the bar higher and higher for other regional orchestras around the state and Midwest”.

A favorite guest conductor in Europe, Mexico, and South America, Palmer conducted the Europa Philharmonie at the Hardinsburg Castle near Berlin, toured with the Orchestra di San Remo for two weeks in Italy and led concerts with the Czech Radio Orchestra at the Prague and Nelahozeves Castles celebrating the music of George Gershwin. The German press hailed Palmer’s conducting as “a musical high point with world class flair” and Radio Suisse Romande in Switzerland noted Palmer’s “great professionalism with unity and verve”.

A native of Hingham, Massachusetts, Palmer graduated cum laude from Harvard University and received his Masters and Doctoral degrees in Orchestral Conducting from the New England Conservatory of Music and the University of Iowa, respectively. He also has studied at the Juilliard School, Pierre Monteux Domaine School, Aspen Music School, the Festival at Sandpoint, and the Academia Chigiana in Italy, where he was a student of Franco Ferrara and Carlo Maria Giulini.

Maestro Nick is no stranger to the recording studio. Over the years, he has led orchestras in the recording of both major works (for the label Symphonic Discoveries) and new music for Albany Recordings with the Altoona and Owensboro Symphonies. Most recently, he has been asked by the estate of late composer Arnold Rosner to lead a new recording project with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Last season, Palmer and the orchestra recorded two CD’s at the legendary Abbey Road Studio. He will lead two more recordings at Abbey Road in 2019 and 2020.

Booklet for Rosner: Requiem, Op. 59