For Easter, and in the wake of the burning of Notre Dame, there’s a certain reassurance to be found in this expression of hope and renewal by the English composer Edmund Rubbra.
In March of 1941, Nazi bombers laid waste to much of the city of Plymouth, including the Church of St. Andrew. Only its tower remained, perhaps reflective of its motto, “Turis fortissima est nomen Jehova” (“The name of the Lord is a tower of strength”).
While the ruins of the church yet smoldered, a headmistress nailed a makeshift sign to the door of the north entrance. It contained but a single word: “Resurgam” – “I shall rise again.” The message, since carved in granite, has become a permanent part of the church.
In 1975, the Plymouth Symphony Orchestra commissioned Rubbra to compose a work for its centenary. Rubbra responded with this concert overture.
The restoration of St. Andrew’s was completed in 1957.
You’ll find much to do with Notre Dame and the significance and state of its Grand Organ on “A Tempo,” tonight at 7:00 EDT, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.