Prospero's Rooms

Last updated

Prospero's Rooms is a single-movement orchestral composition by the American composer Christopher Rouse. The work was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic, for which Rouse was composer-in-residence, and was completed in 2011. The title comes from the Edgar Allan Poe short story "The Masque of the Red Death," in which the main character Prince Prospero and his fellow aristocrats try to escape the ravages of a plague known as the "Red Death" by locking themselves away from the outside world during a masquerade ball. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Prospero's Rooms had its world premiere on April 17, 2013 at Avery Fisher Hall in New York City, with conductor Alan Gilbert leading the New York Philharmonic; the UK premiere took place at the Barbican Centre in London on April 24, 2015 with Michal Nesterowicz conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra, with the performance being broadcast live on BBC Radio 3's Radio 3 Live in Concert program. [4]

Composition

On the inception and composition of the work, Rouse wrote in the score program notes:

In the days when I would have still contemplated composing an opera, my preferred source was Edgar Allan Poe's 'Masque of the Red Death.' A marvelous story full of both symbolism and terror, it is only five pages long and would thus require 'padding' instead of the usual brutal cutting of the story. I had contemplated some sort of melding of the Poe story with Leonid Andreyev's symbolist play 'The Black Maskers.' However, I shall not be composing an opera, and so I decided to redirect my ideas into what might be considered an overture to an unwritten opera. [1]

Instrumentation

Prospero's Rooms is scored for an orchestra comprising two flutes, piccolo, two oboes, cor anglais, two clarinets, bass clarinet, two bassoons, contrabassoon, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, three percussionists, harp, and strings. [1]

Reception

Reviewing the world premiere, Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim of The New York Times praised Prospero's Rooms, saying, "In Mr. Rouse’s atmospheric work, the story is told with dreamlike speed — 10 minutes from the cadaverous contrabassoon line that opens over quiet string rumblings to the final terrifying crash. Poe’s ball takes place in a sequence of monochrome rooms and the music had a strong sense of motion and spaces being entered and left behind, as well as colors that sometimes seemed eerily disembodied from the instruments that produced them." [5] George Hall of The Guardian called the work "unmemorable," but nevertheless complimented it as "a lively, if frenetic, piece of orchestral writing." [6]

See also

Related Research Articles

Masquerade ball Event in which participants attend in costume wearing a mask

A masquerade ball is an event in which many participants attend in costume wearing a mask. Less formal "costume parties" may be a descendant of this tradition. A masquerade ball usually encompasses music and dancing. These nighttime events are used for entertainment and celebrations. 

The Masque of the Red Death Short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe

"The Masque of the Red Death" is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1842. The story follows Prince Prospero's attempts to avoid a dangerous plague, known as the Red Death, by hiding in his abbey. He, along with many other wealthy nobles, hosts a masquerade ball in seven rooms of the abbey, each decorated with a different color. In the midst of their revelry, a mysterious figure disguised as a Red Death victim enters and makes his way through each of the rooms. Prospero dies after confronting this stranger, whose "costume" proves to contain nothing tangible inside it; the guests also die in turn.

<i>The Masque of the Red Death</i> (1964 film) 1964 horror film directed by Roger Corman

The Masque of the Red Death is a 1964 horror film directed by Roger Corman and starring Vincent Price. The story follows a prince who terrorizes a plague-ridden peasantry while merrymaking in a lonely castle with his jaded courtiers. The screenplay, written by Charles Beaumont and R. Wright Campbell, was based upon the 1842 short story of the same name by American author Edgar Allan Poe, and incorporates a subplot based on another Poe tale, "Hop-Frog". Another subplot is drawn from Torture by Hope by Auguste Villiers de l'Isle-Adam.

Edgar Allan Poe and music Wikimedia list article

The influence of Edgar Allan Poe on the art of music has been considerable and long-standing, with the works, life and image of the horror fiction writer and poet inspiring composers and musicians from diverse genres for more than a century.

Christopher Chapman Rouse III was an American composer. Though he wrote for various ensembles, Rouse is primarily known for his orchestral compositions, including a Requiem, a dozen concertos, and six symphonies. His work received numerous accolades, including the Kennedy Center Friedheim Award, the Grammy Award for Best Classical Contemporary Composition, and the Pulitzer Prize for Music. He also served as the composer-in-residence for the New York Philharmonic from 2012 to 2015.

Michael Nathaniel Hersch is an American composer and pianist.

Hop-Frog Short story by Edgar Allan Poe

"Hop-Frog" is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1849. The title character, a person with dwarfism taken from his homeland, becomes the jester of a king particularly fond of practical jokes. Taking revenge on the king and his cabinet for the king's striking of his friend and fellow dwarf Trippetta, he dresses the king and his cabinet as orangutans for a masquerade. In front of the king's guests, Hop-Frog murders them all by setting their costumes on fire before escaping with Trippetta.

Edgar Allan Poe in television and film

American poet and short story writer Edgar Allan Poe has had significant influence in television and film. Many are adaptations of Poe's work, others merely reference it.

<i>Radio Tales</i> American radio series

Radio Tales is an American series of radio drama which premiered on National Public Radio on October 29, 1996. This series adapted classic works of American and world literature such as The War of the Worlds, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Beowulf, Gulliver's Travels, and the One Thousand and One Nights. The series was co-produced by Winnie Waldron and Winifred Phillips. Waldron created the series and served as on-air host. Phillips composed music for the series.

Edgar Allan Poe's 1842 short story "The Masque of the Red Death" has been depicted and referenced numerous times in popular culture.

<i>Masque of the Red Death</i> (1989 film) 1989 film by Larry Brand

Masque of the Red Death is a 1989 American horror film produced by Roger Corman, and directed by Larry Brand, starring Adrian Paul and Patrick Macnee. The film is a remake of the 1964 picture of the same name which was directed by Roger Corman. The screenplay, written by Daryl Haney and Larry Brand, is based upon the classic 1842 short story of the same name by American author Edgar Allan Poe, concerning the exploits of Prince Prospero, who organizes a bal masqué in his castle while the peasants of his fiefdom die from the plague in great numbers.

Thunderstuck is a one-movement orchestral composition by the American composer Christopher Rouse. The piece was completed December 29, 2013, and premiered October 9, 2014, in Avery Fisher Hall, New York City. The premiere was performed by conductor Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic, and the work is dedicated to both.

Requiem is a composition for solo baritone, children's choir, chorus, and orchestra by the American composer Christopher Rouse. The piece was commissioned by Soli Deo Gloria for the 2003 bicentennial of the birth of French composer Hector Berlioz. It was completed July 12, 2002 and premiered March 25, 2007 at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, with the conductor Grant Gershon leading the Los Angeles Master Chorale and their orchestra, the Los Angeles Children's Chorus, and the baritone Sanford Sylvan.

Odna Zhizn is a symphonic poem by the American composer Christopher Rouse. The work was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic and was completed in 2009. It was first performed on February 10, 2010, at Avery Fisher Hall in New York City, by the New York Philharmonic under the direction of Alan Gilbert.

The Violoncello Concerto is a concerto for cello and orchestra by the American composer Christopher Rouse. It was commissioned to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Los Angeles Philharmonic by philanthropist Betty Freeman—to whom the work is dedicated—and completed October 27, 1992. The piece was premiered in Los Angeles, January 26, 1994, with conductor David Zinman leading cellist Yo-Yo Ma and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Gregory Spears is an American composer of instrumental and operatic works that blend aspects of romanticism, minimalism, and early music. Among his best known works are the operas Fellow Travelers and Paul's Case, as well as his Requiem.

<i>Senza sangue</i>

Senza sangue an opera in one act by Péter Eötvös with a libretto by Mari Mezei. It is based on the second part of the 2002 novel of the same name by Alessandro Baricco and is intended to be performed jointly with Béla Bartók's one-act Bluebeard's Castle. The concert première was given by the New York Philharmonic conducted by Alan Gilbert on 1 May 2015 at the Kölner Philharmonie. It was premièred in full on 15 May 2016 at the Festival d'Avignon. It is his tenth opera. Anne Sofie von Otter, who sang in the New York première with the New York Philharmonic, said: "The piece is not at all easy for the two singers... [It's] hard to find the pitch; you have to work it into the voice, unless of course you happen to have perfect pitch, which I don't."

Quintet for Clarinet and Strings is a chamber work in four movements, for B♭ clarinet and string quartet, by American composer Geoffrey Gordon (1968).

Nora Fischer (singer) Musical artist

Nora Fischer is a soprano singer. Her new album, HUSH, furthers her reputation as someone who breaks conventional musical genre barriers.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Rouse, Christopher (2011). Prospero’s Rooms: Program Note by the Composer. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Alan Gilbert, Christopher Rouse and Joshua Bell". WQXR-FM . May 2, 2013. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  3. ↑ Levere, Jane (April 17, 2013). "New York Philharmonic To Perform All-American Program With Joshua Bell And Christopher Rouse Premiere". Forbes . Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  4. ↑ "BBC Radio 3 - Radio 3 Live in Concert, BBC SO - Beethoven, Rouse, Lutoslawski".
  5. ↑ Fonseca-Wollheim, Corinna da (April 18, 2013). "Nimbly Chasing That Winged Target". The New York Times . Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  6. ↑ Hall, George (April 27, 2015). "BBCSO/Nesterowicz/Osborne review – Rouse's overture is lively but unmemorable". The Guardian . Retrieved April 30, 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.