Sony Music announces SUGAR PLUM ON THE RUN, the new album from composer LIOR ROSNER, featuring an original story about the Sugar Plum Fairy from holiday favorite The Nutcracker. JEREMY IRONS narrates the story, written by James Lorick and Rosner, with the ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA and conductor SCOTT DUNN performing Rosner’s music.

The album also features the iconic Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, possibly the most popular moment from this magical ballet.  To accompany the original, Rosner has written a set of variations on Tchaikovsky’s famous Dance of which he says “I composed a set of eight variations that paid homage to the tradition of Russian music, imagining what would have happened if all my favorite Russian composers were each commissioned to write a variation on Tchaikovsky’s theme.”

The album will be released digitally only on Friday November 8, 2019.

Rosner was inspired by the Christmas season and Tchaikovsky’s well-loved miniature, which he felt could be developed into a longer work. He subsequently added a narrative which tells a story about the adventures of a young fairy. More adventures are planned for the future.

Composer Lior Rosner says: “I was fascinated with the idea of Christmas and the Christmas season. That fascination started after moving to the US. From classic holiday specials on television to the iconic music and plays, I always thought of adding my musical voice to the acclaimed Christmas canon.

“No piece is more synonymous with the Christmas season than Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker. When I used to listen to the ballet, I really wished that Tchaikovsky had continued developing the music from the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy – so I chose to craft a set of variations based on that musical material.

“Shortly after finishing the work, I realized that there is a strong narrative feel to the piece, and I decided to add a narrator, telling what will be the first in a series of new adventures for Sugar Plum. I couldn’t be happier to create this narrative with Jeremy Irons, our phenomenally gifted narrator, and the acclaimed Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London.”

Jeremy Irons says: “I am very happy to be part of this project, giving life to The Sugar Plum Fairy, beloved by many. Fees and royalties are donated to Merchant’s Quay Ireland, which I hope will make a small difference to the homeless in Ireland.”

ABOUT THE COMPOSER

Lior Rosner is a World Soundtrack-nominated and ASCAP award-winning composer of film, television and concert music.

A composition graduate of the Jerusalem Academy of Music And Dance, Rosner currently scores NBC’s Will and Grace revival and the upcoming Netflix series AJ and the Queen, co-created by six-time Emmy winner RuPaul and Emmy-winning Sex and the City writer/director Michael Patrick King.

Rosner’s concert music engagements include writing/arranging for the 2017 and 2018 San Francisco Symphony holiday concerts, as well as the upcoming premiere of his song cycle Metamorphosis, written for countertenor Andrew Watts and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Metamorphosis will premiere in the 2020/21 season.

Lior’s album Awake and Dream on Bridge Records featured opera star Janai Brugger. His choral piece “They’ll Remember You” from the Valkyrie end titles was nominated for the World Soundtrack Awards and is performed regularly in concerts.

Rosner wrote the iconic theme for The Ellen DeGeneres Show as well as for AMC’s Heroes and Villains: The Secret History of Comics. His other film and television credits include: X-Men: Days Of Future Past, X-Men: Apocalypse, Valkyrie, Superman Returns, Fantastic 4: The Rise of the Silver Surfer, Little Fockers, The Losers, CNN’s The History of Comedy, Battle Creek, and ABC’s Forever.