Music can be mysterious, even to those who spend their lives creating it. As WRTI’s Susan Lewis reports, the late composer Christopher Rouse pondered the profound power of music with his concerto for organ and orchestra.
Unlike some of his other works, Rouse’s organ concerto has no program or story. Instead, it explores the music itself—a combination of notes, rhythms, harmonies, and dynamics—and its ability to express emotion.
"The first movement is meant to be joyous and festive," said the composer. "The middle movement...spiritual; the last movement is kind of a wild dance, a little diabolical perhaps."
With multiple colors and color combinations, the organ—and orchestra—are apt vehicles for this exploration. In writing music, said Rouse, technique and style were less important to him than expressivity. "Is it communicating something meaningful to the listener on an emotional level? That is the only thing I care about as a composer."
Rouse marveled at the mysteriousness of music: "By which a series of vibrating frequencies, which inherently mean nothing—what does a C sharp mean? In and of itself it means nothing. Yet there’s this process of combining musical pitches and rhythms into an art that profoundly speaks to the human spirit."
Christopher Rouse, who won Pulitzer and GRAMMY Awards, wrote 10 other concertos, four symphonies, chamber music, and works for voice and orchestra. He died on September 21, 2019.