Rose has evoked from Notke’s Dance of Death story an absorbing musical masterpiece. (Roderick Dunnett, Church Times 12.12.2011)
Gregory Rose’s Danse macabre (Death of Dance) for soloists, chorus and instruments was commissioned by the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir to whom Danse macabre is dedicated. First performance took place in St Nicholas Church, Tallinn, Estonia, on October 27th, 2011, UK premiere was on May 18th, 2013 in London.
The music piece is inspired by the painting Danse macabre by the medieval German-Estonian artist, Bernt Notke, which is to be found in St Nicholas Church in Tallinn, Estonia. Danse macabre is a series of paintings of Death taunting the Pope, Emperor, Empress, Cardinal, King and Bishop, with texts in medieval German at the base of the picture. Rose has used these texts for principal singers, the chorus sings the complete Latin Requiem. The instrumental ensemble consists of 14 players.
The recording session takes place in October in St Nicholas Church in Tallinn with the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and chamber ensemble, the conductor is Gregory Rose. The CD will be released by Toccata Classics.
Look for more: www.gregoryrose.org