We Remember: John Robertson

Might there be a sweeter thing than a life spent in music? PARMA artist (Ernest) John Robertson (October 21, 1943 – February 16, 2025) spent much of his life attached to the arts, even through a long career in the insurance business. Today, we remember Robertson and his outstanding legacy of classical music.

His early decision to pursue a career outside of the arts may have been the sensible choice. Nonetheless, the desire to compose beautiful and meaningful music stuck. A competition win in 1987 eventually cemented this pastime as a worthwhile pursuit, and the result is a substantial body of work by which Robertson will be dearly remembered.

Robertson’s output covers most genres and five of his six symphonies have been recorded and released on Navona Records. His first project with PARMA came in 2017 with VALLARTA SUITE, featuring three symphonic works performed by the Jánaček Philharmonic Ostrava.

VALLARTA SUITE

VALLARTA SUITE showcases the continuation of classic orchestral traditions into the present day. The album’s three works testify to Robertson’s flexible compositional voice, which expresses playful, grand, and romantic materials within a welcoming style based on 19th early 20th century precedents.

Performed expertly by the Jánaček Philharmonic Orchestra, VALLARTA SUITE is defined by beautiful melodies, confident orchestration, and classic musical forms.

SYMPHONY NO. 1

Released a year later, Robertson’s second album SYMPHONY NO. 1 once more delivered a neoclassical triumph with tremendous potential for repeated listening. This release is full of the exuberance ever-present in the composer’s oeuvre. The heart of the album is, of course, Robertson’s Symphony No. 1, a three-movement epic exploring the vast realm of classical tonality.

Symphony No. 1 proves that new music can be rooted in tradition, yet offer a breath of creative fresh air — effortlessly and naturally.

When asked what he’d like to communicate to audiences with this work in a PARMA Inside Story interview, Robertson said “Life isn’t easy; it can be grim sometimes.”

“Beauty is a wonderful thing turning up in unexpected places to buoy us up. On occasion things seem hopeless, and yet in the end, more often than not, there is light at the end of the tunnel.”

VIRTUOSITY

If there’s one common theme to note through each of Robertson’s releases, it very well may be his compositional virtuosity. His third Navona Records release, aptly named VIRTUOSITY, is a shining example.

Characterized by a unique style of instrumentation and experimentation with formality, the album is the colorful expression of Robertson’s symphonic creativity. VIRTUOSITY combines a clarinet and a trumpet concerto, a symphony, and an orchestral fantasy based on a Maori love story — all on one album.

Robertson’s background interestingly includes not only an impressive, influential around-the-world emigration from his native New Zealand to Canada, but also early beginnings as an insurance expert while simultaneously embarking on his musical journey. This life experience — a balance of the adventurous yet down-to-earth — all seem to be clearly reflected in his compositions.

VIRTUOSITY is yet another testament to Robertson’s outstanding versatility as a composer.

SYMPHONIES NO. 4 & 5

Like their predecessors, these orchestral works make no sacrifices in terms of scale and style: they aim to be grand, aesthetic compositions, and are intended to be enjoyed as such.

Together, these works represent more than the sum of their parts: they aren’t unrelated compositions, but an apt snapshot of Robertson’s later oeuvre.

See what the press had to say about these symphonic works.