Which harp concerto to work on?

[laura-palmieri]

I love the Boieldieu and the Mozart flute and harp concerto. I have been working on the Boieldieu somewhat but I don’t know if I should really work on the Mozart since it’s more popular.. I have to memorize it before December so which one would you do if you had a choice between the two? Thanks!

[Harp One]

(Sorry for my poor English.)
Both pieces are really popular and fun!!

Before I answer your question, could you please tell me about you?
Why do you need to learn before December? For recital or for orchestra audition or for fun or for school audition???

But, one thing I can tell you is…
Concerto by Mozart is one of the harp concertos you SHOULD learn..
This piece is so popular that it is always good to have under your fingers.

[laura-palmieri]

I am competing in a concerto competition. I am a senior in music school right now and have worked on the Handel and Dittersdorf and Ravel’s Intro and Allegro.My senior recital will be in October. I would only need to perform one movement since they choose 4 contestants to play in the final concert. The only problem with the Mozart I was thinking is all the really good flute players have graduated already 🙁 I would have to talk to the flute instructor to see who she would suggest.

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

If you want to win the competition, do the one that you know the very best and can play most musically. The Mozart is huge. It is 30 minutes long, and is the longest concerto in our repertoire that I know of. Each movement is long and challenging. You do have all summer, though. It depends on how much you practice and how well you learn. The Mozart is a great piece, the Dittersdorf is good, the Boieldieu is good, and there are others that are similar. The Dittersdorf would be the most accessible, but is not especially flashy.

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

But, really, the question should not be popularity or familiarity. When you consider repertoire, you should have, hopefully, some sense of its greatness. We have a lot of repertoire that is not great, some that is great. Now which would you rather spend your precious time learning? Great or not-great? Which will benefit you the most?

There are quite a few concerti that are not too difficult and are, if not great, very good. I would include among these:

Saint-Saens: Morceau de Concert

Rodrigo: Sones en la Giralda

Albrechtsberger: Concerto

J. C. Bach: 6 Concerti

Dussek: Concerto in B-flat (two movements)

and perhaps Wagenseil, Eichner; and more romantically,

[laura-palmieri]

That’s exactly what I was thinking Saul. I have been working on the Boieldieu already so I might as well stick to it. The only problem with the Boieldieu is that the first movement sounds kind of like the Dittersdorf with lots of right hand scales and runs. I only have to pick one movement which is kind of hard with the Boieldieu because the second and third are pretty connected. My teacher mentioned the Rodrigo I was also thinking the 1st movement of the Gliere. I have nothing to do but practice all summer so I wanted to make sure I pick a good concerto mvmt to work on.

[laura-palmieri]

Thanks Saul! That is a very good list for me! I appreciate your help!

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

For doing one movement only, I think the Handel is the best, or the Dussek. I think the Dittersdorf is a better bet than the Boieldieu. The Gliere is too boring to me to mention. If Russians look down on his music, I take that as a word to the wise.

You can do the Dittersdorf in recital with a harpsichordist, or a small ensemble of strings and winds. The Boeildieu is much harder than it might look, I think. It also only shows off the right hand most of the time. The Dittersdorf has better personality, it has warmth and charm when played well. It’s actually an arrangement by Pillney that is a re-creation of the piece, something he did quite well.

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