The old rose reader

The old rose reader was written for violinist Mari Kimura and includes both electronic sound and video animation. It is a romantic work based on a text by my husband, James Pritchett. The text inclues the names of hundreds of roses, along with stories about them.

Site for The old rose reader at the AMC Online Library (includes audio excerpt)

The Old Rose Reader was inspired by my love of old garden roses. "Old roses" are either species roses that have been grown for many hundreds of years, or else hybrids that were developed mostly before 1900. Many of them are famous for having been grown in Empress Josephine's garden at Malmaison. I love them not only for their exceptional beauty and fragrance, but also for their wonderful, romantic names. All of the names that appear in the text of The Old Rose Reader belong to actual roses, some of which I grow in my own garden.

The Old Rose Reader was commissioned by, and is dedicated to, Mari Kimura. The text of The Old Rose Reader was written by James Pritchett, who also created the video part. The text was read by Hervé Brönnimann. This work was funded in part by the Composer Assistance Program of the American Music Center. A large part of The Old Rose Reader was completed while in residence at The Djerassi Resident Artists program.

An excerpt of the piece is available for download at the AMC Online Library here.