Chosen in 1988 as Composer of the Year by Musical America and now recognized as one of the finest song composers in America, Ned Rorem has also written a significant body of music for orchestra, including three Symphonies (Naxos 8559149), a Violin Concerto and a Flute Concerto (Naxos 8559278). When Leonard Bernstein gave the première of Rorem’s Third Symphony with the New York Philharmonic in 1959, it signaled a significant triumph for his orchestral music, written in a tonal idiom alien to the experimental practices of the day.

Composed in Morocco in 1951, the Second Piano Concerto has a distinctly American character. The last movement, ‘Real Fast!’, is a tour de force for soloist and orchestra, with jazz-like rhythms and an exhilarating conclusion. In his recent concertos such as the Cello Concerto of 2002, Rorem has abandoned the usual three-movement pattern. The composer has written: “Although I don’t believe that non-vocal music can be proven to ‘mean’ anything ... it’s still fun to give programmatic subtitles to various sections.”

Piano Concerto No. 2

Mulligan, Simon, piano
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Serebrier, Jose, Conductor


I. Somber and Steady 15:55
II. Quiet and Sad 12:35
III. Real Fast! 05:39

Cello Concerto

Yang, Wen-Sinn, cello
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Serebrier, Jose, Conductor


I. Curtain - rise 01:40
II. There and Back 03:59
III. Three Queries, One Response 07:17
IV. Competative Chaos 01:51
V. A Single Tone, A Dozen Implications 01:27
VI. One Coin, Two Sides 04:29
VII. Valse Rappelee 01:27
VIII. Adrift 02:59

Total Playing Time: 00:59:18