MEMETERIA by Thomas May

The late Christopher Rouse left this moving statement, which he he asked to be released after his death:

Without music my life would have had no meaning. It has not only informed my life or enriched my life; it has GIVEN me life and a reason for living. I’ll never be able to explain why these vibrating frequencies have the power to transport us to levels of consciousness that defy words — I simply accept the fact that music has this miraculous power for me and for myriad other people I have known.

My hope has been to do for my listeners what Beethoven and Berlioz and Bruckner and Ibert and all of those others who worked — and still do — for me. I’ve wished to “pay it forward” by inviting listeners to call on me to enter their hearts and their lives and to allow me the honor of accompanying them on their road through life. If summoned I will try to be of use: to sing you a song, to paint you a picture, to tell you a story. Perhaps we can take a journey together. A caveat: I may sometimes take you to a place you’ll find it difficult to go, but my goal will always be at journey’s end to provide you with solace and strength.

And what a wealth of ways to summon him he has left behind for us, for posterity.

Here’s Anthony Tommasini’s sensitive appraisal for the New York Times. As he notes: “Just weeks before his death, Mr. Rouse was putting the finishing touches on his Symphony No. 6. The work will receive its premiere performance on Oct. 18 in Cincinnati by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Louis Langrée.”

Filed under: Christopher Rouse, music news