According to Pulitzer and Grammy-winning composer Christopher Rouse, titles sound better when they’re in another language.

That’s the story behind the title of Supplica. He was seeking a title that had more depth than just an entreaty or supplication, but something like a prayer. Supplica is the opening piece on a new release of Rouse’s music by the Nashville Symphony, which is out tomorrow. Naxos gave 91Classical a preview of the piece.

The album also includes Rouse’s Concerto for Orchestra as well as his Symphony No. 5, which tips its cap to a favorite fifth symphony, that of Ludwig van Beethoven.

Rouse died in September 2019, after a long career of curing music of what he called “the slows” – seeking to make “allegro” cool again, after the musical expanse of late Romanticism. Nashville Symphony conductor Giancarlo Guerrero called him “one of the giants of American music.”

When the Nashville Symphony first performed his 5th Symphony, Rouse discussed the piece in the very first episode of our podcast Classically Speaking.

Rouse also spoke with Naxos backstage at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center as the album was being recorded.

The Nashville Symphony’s recording of music by Christopher Rouse releases on Friday July 24, 2020.