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I played a piece by Deniz Ulben for counter-tenor, english horn and harp some time ago, and it was a wonderful piece. Settings of Shakespeare sonnets. It would only be available from the composer, I think. She lives in New York. We played it on her debut recital, which was reviewed in the New York Times.
That is an accurate recording. How did you find it? The tempo is at 144 after the opening of the first movement. It’s a very dynamic piece. As Miss Lawrence would say, don’t listen to the quality of the recording, listen to the music!
I have written a piece for flute, oboe and harp. Hovhaness Firdausi? There aren’t many, but I’m sure there is something somewhere.
Lyra made a cassette tape available in 1985, but I don’t think they have any more of them. It will probably be performed at the next Harp Festival of Philadelphia, October 8-11, 2010. I’m sure that is the correct tempo, what is printed. I would advise going over it with a Salzedo-trained harpist so you understand what he is after. You may be looking at the pages that are all pedal slides.
It’s a great piece, well worth learning. His tempi can be very fast, as he could play anything any way he wanted. Sorry I can’t just come over there and do a workshop or something. Maybe Floraleda Sacchi can help you. Judith Liber certainly could. You can learn the notes, but the sounds he wants are certain tone colors. If you have the Modern Study of the Harp, that will guide you in his notation and colors.
Pieces to end a recital with:
Salzedo’s Ballade, Recessional, Scintillation, Variations
Hmm, I can’t think of anything else that is sure-fire. Salzedo was great at endings.
And don’t end with a piece with an ensemble like the Debussy Danses or Trio. A Concerto like the Ginastera, okay.
I usually think about preparing myself. One of my better performances was when I had no time to do anything after rehearsing but get dressed and go on! Dark chocolate, I guess that’s the new ritual, and cola. I did find that a bagel and cream cheese was a nice fuel that went down easy. Heavy food is not good.
I definitely think about making a transition. One is a persona as a soloist, not your ordinary self. You are making magic. I think about cleansing, leaving thoughts behind, dedicating the space, what I want to achieve, mostly what I want the audience to experience. I create a space for them. I tune to them like the harp, and with my program carefully arranged, I serve them a series of delights and stimulations until they are brought to their feet in ovation (or exiting). In fact, my record for standing ovations since I began programming very deliberately for them has been something like 9 out of 10 recitals. I messed up the last one because I ended with Salzedo’s Suite of Eight Dances instead of his Recessional, which has a very rousing ending. The Rumba is not rousing enough.
I’m sure Marie Antoinette had more than four, because one more is in Hungary, and was used to record the Albrechtsberger Concerto, and it was in good order. A Nadermann harp.
Either them, or you will be. I would be if I had to play any Sonata by Krumpholtz. There’s a really odd one that has a sequence of movements, then goes through all of them in reverse order to get back to the beginning.
If it’s not in the book, how will it answer the question???
I believe I always assumed that the chords should proceed as normal, a simple copying error. It’s certainly musically correct.
I haven’t seen it recently, but if you contort your hand, it is possible, as Grandjany must have done it. I always found playing harmonics and regular notes in the same hand to hurt, so I just don’t play those pieces. Only, I used to use this a lot for restaurant gigs. If the regular note is below, you stick out your fourth finger to kind of hook it. It doesn’t lend itself to good harmonics, though. If you can play the harmonics and reach your second finger out over the 3 and 4, try it that way.
That is a new one on me. I have never heard covering the harp recommended at all. In Minnesota, it seemed to be the rule that if the harp was kept covered (all we had was canvas) the strings would break. They need to react to the air. Still, a very light dust cover seems like a decent idea, but not if you have cats who will climb it. Anyone want to make them cheaply?
