Resurrection ~ Conductors Score  Ref: JM12SC

'Resurrection' is suitable for most orchestral and religious programmes, though the composition is not specifically linked to any particular faith. It is intended as a very tender piece with symphonic contrasts and feeling within the ambience of the string orchestra. Therefore the larger the string sections are the better the result should be, though that is not at all to exclude the possibility of performance by quite small chamber orchestras (a sensible minimum string section size of 4 - 4 - 4 - 3 - 2 would perfectly suffice to convey the more powerful moments within the work). The duration is about nine minutes. The opening is deliberately innocent, with a passing glance to Pachelbel. However this soon changes to a more passionate outpouring as the cellos take the theme, and we move into what might be described as the 'development section' as the double-basses take the theme into the minor. These lyrical passages that are becoming more overtly romantic continue to be fully entrusted to the dark overtones of the bass section playing in their higher register; when the violin sections again come to the fore the music becomes even more intense and increasingly more painful harmonically, climbing and climbing to a tension-filled climax on a long pause note. From here the tension noticeably softens all the while until arriving at the opening heavenly feeling in the major key. The re-exposition is always gentle, and the music very gradually comes to rest, the very last few bars being exceptionally peaceful, as if saying a simple 'amen'. The first performance of the piece was given by the orchestra 'Sinfonietta Academica', followed soon after by a CD recording in 2002 by the 'Swinging Strings' of the Basque National Orchestra (Orquesta Sinfónica de Euskadi). On both occasions the conductor was Caroline Collier. The dedication is given to Herminio Martín Romero, a Spanish businessman from Salamanca, whose path has many times crossed with the composer during the last twenty years.