Romanza

Description

Romanza is the second album by composer Nathan Henninger, following the highly acclaimed Five Scenes for Orchestra. It presents a 19-minute and 40-second symphonic poem for string orchestra, percussion, and piano. Conceived as a single-movement narrative work, Romanza unfolds in a continuous emotional arc, centered on a recurring lyrical theme that symbolizes love—its tenderness, vulnerability, and enduring presence. The album includes six tracks: the complete performance of Romanza, followed by five excerpts from the work—Theme, Playfully, Warmly with Energy, Misterioso, and Gently—offering listeners multiple entry points into the piece's expressive universe. Recorded with the Budapest Scoring Orchestra and featuring Moroccan-Hungarian pianist Marouan Benabdallah, Romanza highlights Henninger's gift for sustained melodic writing, luminous orchestration, and large-scale storytelling. The piano acts both as a voice integrated into the orchestra and as a virtuosic, narrative presence, guiding transitions and intensifying key moments. Henninger's previous release, Five Scenes for Orchestra, recorded in Berlin by members of major German orchestras, was broadcast internationally on BBC Radio 3 and WDR, selected among IDAGIO's Editor's Weekly Picks, and cited by critic Ted Gioia among the Top 100 Recordings of 2025. With Romanza, Henninger deepens his exploration of narrative-driven orchestral form, creating an immersive and emotionally rich listening experience.