The music of Michael Torke has been described by Gramophone as ‘some of the most optimistic, joyful and thoroughly uplifting music to appear in recent years.’ With a substantial body of music in almost every genre, Michael Torke combines restless rhythmic energy with refreshingly beautiful melodies. Rapture was the first new work written by Torke as Associate Composer to the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. The second such commission, An American Abroad, expresses the natural naivety an American might feel when travelling abroad. Jasper was inspired by the surroundings of a house overlooking Lake Superior, where the piece was written.