Marius Constant | Divine Art Recordings

Divine Art Records is delighted to announce the forthcoming re-issue of a stunning recording by Riverside Symphony of orchestral works by the Romanian-French composer Marius Constant (1925-2004). Best known in the classical world for his ballet scores, his most widely known work is the original theme to the TV Series ‘The Twilight Zone’. His “pure” orchestral music displays remarkable expressive depth, unbounded imagination and sheer sonic beauty, exemplified in the works on this album which show why this great composer’s name should be much more widely known. Turner is a suite of three movements, each inspired by a J.M.W. Turner painting; Brevissima is a four-movement symphonic argument compressed into ten gripping minutes, and 103 regards dans l’eau is a wonderful and extensive violin concerto of over 30 minutes, made up of 103 vignettes in four movements, inspired by poetic and philosophical observations of water.

The album is due to be released in early April 2021. It was first issued by Riverside Symphony in 2014 and while attracting great acclaim, was not at the time distributed globally.

Marius Constant emigrated to Paris from Bucharest in 1945 and became an important fixture in that city’s musical life. He served as Roland Petit’s Music Director at the Ballets de Paris for over 10 years and was in constant demand as a composer, conductor and teacher for the following 50+ years. Not unlike his close friend Henri Dutilleux, Constant, though by no means a reactionary, was over-shadowed internationally by the ascent of the avant-garde, as exemplified by Pierre Boulez. In an 11-minute video feature (included on the CD), Riverside Symphony directors George Rothman and Anthony Korf explain their discovery of Constant’s music and make a case for the composer’s renewed legacy.

Olivier Charlier is internationally recognized as an important representative of the French school of violin playing, joining such artists as Jacques Thibaud, Ginette Neveu, and Christian Ferras. Showing precocious talent, he graduated with a Premier Prix from the Paris Conservatoire (CNSM) at the age of fourteen, then won acclaim at international competitions, including Munich, Montreal, Helsinki, Paris, Indianapolis, and New York. Nadia Boulanger, Yehudi Menuhin and Henryk Szeryng are among the musical figures who encouraged the young musician early in his career. Mr. Charlier has performed with nearly fifty different French orchestras, as well as with major orchestras around the world. His active recording career reflects his eclecticism; it includes violin concertos by Dutilleux, Lalo, Gregson, and Gerard Schurmann, as well as Mendelssohn and Saint-Saëns.

George Rothman, Music Director of Riverside Symphony since its inception, has guest conducted throughout the Far East, Europe, South America, and the United States. He has led world and New York premieres of major American and European contemporary composers at Lincoln Center while championing emerging composers on an international scale through readings, workshops, and recordings. In addition to the standard repertory, he has focused on lesser-known works by noted composers from all periods, ranging from the Baroque era to 20th century masters, and has presented New York premiere performances of works by Prokofiev, Ravel and others.

A native New Yorker, Rothman trained at the Manhattan School of Music, The Juilliard School, Queens College’s Aaron Copland School of Music, and, as a scholarship student, at Tanglewood Music Center, where he studied with Leonard Bernstein and Seiji Ozawa. Currently a member of Brooklyn College’s Conservatory of Music faculty where he serves as Music Director and Conductor of the Conservatory Orchestra, his prior academic affiliations include Columbia and Yale Universities.

Riverside Symphony, co-founded in 1981 by George Rothman and Anthony Korf, has been widely noted for its unique focus on discovery — discovery of young artists, unfamiliar works by the great masters, and important new pieces by living composers from around the world, for which it provides a rare forum at its annual Lincoln Center concert series at Alice Tully Hall. Critically acclaimed for its vibrant performances of music from all periods, the orchestra counts New York’s finest instrumentalists among its membership.

Riverside Symphony recordings have brought international acclaim, including a Grammy nomination and Editor’s Pick from Gramophone and The New York Times. The orchestra can be heard on Bridge Records (9057 Ruders; 9091 Imbrie; 9112 Davidovsky; 9294 Korf) and New World Records (383 Davidovsky, Korf, Wright).