Thawcrook
Rebecca Hill, harp, and Charlie Stewart, fiddle. Self-released, 2023.
Also of note this month is an alluring collection of contemporary arrangements of traditional Scottish tunes, Thawcrook. Taking its name from the 19th century crofting tool to fashion rope and twine, lever harpist Rebecca Hill and fiddler Charlie Stewart “weave” old and new in their impeccably intimate and conversational debut album. Hypnotic grooves and a gentle drive infuse On the Mountain, which melts into Angus Grant’s allowing the two to show their ease with improvisation and spot-on ensemble blend. Showcasing their dexterity with alternate colorations, Let That Stand Alone incorporates a clawhammer banjo style, while Cailleach a’ Ghobhainn invites Hill to imitate the guitar and push the traditional into the modern. Add the lovely vocalist Mischa MacPherson to the mix and the result is the dreamy Aonghais Oig.
Luigi Concone
Rachel Talitman, harp, and Mavroudes Troullos, bassoon. Self-released, 2023.
In addition, worth putting on your list as a new discovery is the premiere recording of preludes and “progressive” sonatas for bassoon and harp byLuigi Concone featuring bassoonist Mavroudes Troullos and harpist Rachel Talitman in a 2-CD set. Concone (c. 1800) spent his professional life as a harpist, composer, and teacher at the Chapelle of his Majesty of Turin, though his most creative period comes from time spent in Paris when he adopted the name “Louis.” Curiously, each sonata opens with a prelude for harp alone. Talitman gives each a characteristic charm and fluency. It’s hard to know the precise situation that would call for works of this nature, though our imaginations might conjure a gifted harpist and a bassoonist in the midst of learning his craft. That being said, Mavroudes brings warmth, color, and a gentle legato to these recently discovered gems as if the elegantly-feathered duck gliding on the water to the harpist’s more complex paddling below the surface. •
