Next Generation Mozart Soloists, Vol. 7
Elisabeth Plank, harp; Diren Duran, flute; ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester conducted by Howard Griffiths. Alpha Classics, 2023.
Also of note this month is the Viennese harpist Elisabeth Plank’s charming recording of Mozart’s Concerto for Flute and Harp with the wonderful German flutist Diren Duran and the ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester conducted by Howard Griffiths. As a flutist myself, I know all about Mozart’s disdain for the flute, though you’d never know it considering the exquisite lines he gave us to play. But because the flute part was written for an amateur while the harp part was for a pro, the harpist gets the lion’s share of the work which Plank offers as if a gift to the listener with panache and style. What I love so much about Plank’s playing is that even though she must have played this piece a thousand times—and we’ve heard it played at least as many—she brings a freshness to this one and only original work for harp by Mozart, uncovering the complexity underneath its simplicity.
A Christmas Cwtch
Amanda Whiting, harp; Aiden Thorn, bass; and Mark
O’Connor, percussion. First Word Records, 2024.
Jazz harpist Amanda Whiting’s A Christmas Cwtch is a baker’s dozen of seasonal favorites in a new guise. Beginning with a dreamy improv on “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” Whiting introduces us to her slick backups—bassist Aidan Thorn and percussionist Mark O’Connor—for an introspective and expansive “In the Bleak Midwinter.” We don’t linger long, before rocking out to two songs by Vince Guaraldi, silly dancing guaranteed. Faves include a very twisted Miles Davis-esque “Sugarplum”anda rendition of “Peace Piece”that feels as if maybe you joined the reindeer sleigh through a star-filled night, as well as a dark and funky “We Three Kings” with a Nina Simone flavor. And if you’re dying to play along, several pieces are from Whiting’s Jazzy Christmas Songs printed music collection. The album is out on CD and vinyl in early December and available digitally in mid-November. •
