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Contre Qui Rose

Music by Morten Lauridsen

Morten Lauridsen : Les Chansons Des Roses

"Les Chansons des Roses" is a collection of compositions based on the poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke. Says Lauridsend of his selection: "(Rilke') poems on roses struck me as expecially charming, filled with gorgeous lyricism, deftly crafted and elegant in their imagery. There exquisite poems are primarily light, joyous and playful, and the musical settings are designed to enhance these characteristics and capture their delicate beauty and sensuousness."

Songlist: Dirait-on, Contre Qui Rose, De Ton Reve Trop Plein, La Rose Complete, En Une Seule Fleur

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Morten Lauridsen : Contre Qui Rose

In addition to his vast output of German poetry, Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926) composed nearly 400 poems in French. His poems on roses struck me as especially charming, filled with gorgeous lyricism, deftly crafted and elegant in their imagery. These exquisite poems are primarily light, joyous and playful, and the musical settings are designed to enhance these characteristics and capture the delicate beauty and sensuousness of the poetry. Distinct melodic and harmonic materials recur throughout the cycle, especially between Rilke's poignant Contre qui, rose (set as a wistful nocturne) and his moving La rose complète. The final piece, Dirait-on, is composed as a tuneful chanson populaire, or folksong, that weaves together two melodic ideas first heard in fragmentary form in preceding movements. --Morten Lauridsen

Arranger: Morten Lauridsen