Ginastera: One Hundred / Jimenez, Shaham, Kondonassis, Vieaux, Oberlin Orchestra
Oberlin Music
CD
$16.99Oct 14, 2016
Throughout his musical career, Argentinean composer Alberto Ginastera artfully incorporated the folk music and dance forms of his native land into increasingly modernist creations. From the populist to the avant-garde, his work was created using an architectural approach that effectively set his music apart. Ginastera: One Hundred is released in celebration of the centennial anniversary of Ginastera’s birth. The work serves as a musical ‘thank you’ from world-renowned harpist Yolanda Kondonassis, whose career has been heavily influenced by Ginastera. She has performed his Harp Concerto nearly 200 times. Alongside the Harp Concerto is Danzas Argentinas, with its themes that evoke Argentinean history and culture juxtaposed with modernist structures. This is the work which catapulted Ginastera into fame in his home country. Finally, Pampeana No. 1 shows influences from Aaron Copland, with whom Ginastera studied, and Sonata for Guitar, which is the composer’s only work for Argentina’s national instrument.
Kaija Saariaho (b. 1952) is among the most prominent names in contemporary music scene today. This new album by the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Hannu Lintu includes world première recordings of three works by Saariaho featuring bass-baritone Gerald Finley and harpist Xavier de Maistre as soloists. True Fire is a six-movement song cycle that was written to a commission from the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the NDR Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestre National de France, for baritone Gerald Finley with an original idea to explore the scope of the baritone voice. The texts conclusively determined what the vocal expression would be like and how the details in the musical material would shape up. The disparate texts chosen by Saariaho in fact have a common underlying theme: the status of humankind surrounded by nature, our observations of it and our belonging to it. Saariaho’s orchestral triptych Orion (2002) is one of her most performed works. Orion as a celestial phenomenon is showcased in the middle movement, Winter Sky. In 2013, Saariaho rescored this movement for a smaller orchestra, and to distinguish it from the original she gave it a title in French with the same meaning, Ciel d’hiver. It joins the series of works by Saariaho that are in one way or another inspired by things in sky and space. Trans for harp and orchestra is the composer’s latest addition to a series of concertos. It was written to a joint commission from the Suntory Foundation for Arts, the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Tonhalle Orchestra in Zurich, Radio France and the Hessen Radio Orchestra. The premiere was given by Xavier de Maistre in Tokyo in August 2016.
Through The Reeds: Woodwind Concerti of Walter Ross
Ravello Records
CD
$18.99Sep 25, 2012
Through the Reeds is a collection of woodwind concerti from American composer Walter Ross. A lifelong musician and composer, Ross has historically worked most closely with instruments in the woodwind family; the four concerti on this album, all of which feature woodwind solo, highlight his preference for the family and his keep ability to compose works for oboe, bassoon, and flute.
Principal Harpist of the Philadelphia Orchestra Elizabeth Hainen's first release for AVIE spanned three centuries of Harp Concertos (AV 2221). Her new Kickstarter-funded release, Les Amis, features a rare pairing of works by Claude Debussy and André Caplet, exploring the composers' friendship through their respective works Danse sacrée and Danse profane, and the evocative Masque of the Red Death, with Michael Stern and the IRIS Orchestra. Rounding out the recording, Elizabeth solos with a transcription of Debussy's Petite Suite, originally for solo piano, and Caplet's Divertissements, and is joined by her own amis, fellow Philadelphia Orchestra principal flautist Jeffrey Khaner and violist Roberto Diaz, President of the Curtis Institute, in Debussy's Trio Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp. critical acclaim for Elizabeth Hainen's Harp Concertos (AV 2221) "The entire production has class and great aural resonance, a real delight to add to an otherwise neglected body of music." ¬- Audiophile Audition "Hainen plays with impressive virtuosity." - Fanfare "The tonal range of Hainen's playing, coupled with her technical finesse and sense of style, bring allure to the entire disc." - The Daily Telegraph
Philadelphia Orchestra Solo Harpist Elizabeth Hainen paints a varied and innovative portrait of private moments in this ode to the pleasures of home. The program features favorite pieces from those enjoyable hours spent playing her instrument alone or in partnership with her percussionist husband- a collection of cherished gems alongside new creations including a world premiere arrangement of Sting’s ‘St. Agnes and the Burning Train.’ Other works featured include pieces by Bach and Debussy. “Sheer sensuality… utterly gorgeous… time-stillingly luscious” (The Irish Times) “Purling tone, faultless technique, and judicious interpretive taste.” (Fanfare)
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REVIEW:
The mix of classical gems with contemporary arrangements reveals a growing repertoire that harpists and harp fans should celebrate. She clearly knows how much she is contributing to her instrument’s literature, which makes this collection a revelation.
Simone Fontanelli: Strings of an Imaginary Theatre
Stradivarius
CD
$16.99Mar 20, 2026
All the works on this CD share a constant feature: the musical "gesture," which is at the origin of each piece. This "gesture" may appear in several ways. It may be brief and concise, as in the opening of ".a riveder le stelle," or more complex and extensive, as in the beginning of "Mosaico." In all cases, however, the "gesture" creates a "figure" and a "situation" that sets off a process of transformation. As in a theatrical scene, even a short one, the instrument is like a character who acts through this or that "gesture," expressing speech through articulated transforming figures. Just like a monologue or, in other cases, like a dialogue. A guitar, a violin, a harp, or a cello are not just musical instruments. They are "characters" with their own personality and a story to tell. Furthermore, each piece is a story where several situations occur and memories from the past return. "Narration" is another basic element of my way of composing. It can take different routes, reaching different destinations. The last part of "Youth," written for harp, rediscovers the vague memory of a 70s song that I loved when I was a teenager. The end of ".a riveder le stelle" and "Mosaico" are concluding moments of a journey where many things had happened, and where now, looking back, we can understand the sense of them and the sense of the journey itself. At no point are the direction and the destination set at the beginning. They are "found" along the way, for what is important is the journey. Simone Fontanelli
John Thomas: Complete Duos for Harp and Piano, Vol. 1-5
Toccata
CD
$44.99Jun 19, 2026
The Welshman John Thomas (1826-1913), harpist to Queen Victoria, wrote prolifically for his own instrument, both for solo harp and for duos of two harps or harp and piano - a combination where the different sounds of the two instruments enhance the clarity of the texture. Thomas' original works use the elegant Romantic style of his own day, but he often drew on Welsh folksong for his inspiration and left a generous legacy of transcriptions, especially of operatic favourites. Although some of his music was intended for the Victorian drawing room, other pieces require a virtuoso technique - and all of it has a thoroughly engaging melodic appeal. [Volumes 1-5: TOCC 0561, 0566, 0578, 0582, 0711]
Her first inspiration was Charlotte Bienaime´'s 'Un podcast a' soi', which discusses fundamental questions of gender and feminism. "More often than not in history, 'Anonymous' was a woman"-this sentence by Virginia Woolf, epigraph to the famous radio podcast, has found an echo in Julie Campiche. Giving a voice to women, but in a distinct way: this is the common thread running through the album. Rather than a feminist manifesto, UNSPOKEN seeks to celebrate feminine strength, nourished by commitment and openness. She addresses the fragile balance of women in shadow and light of society. "Female strength is what makes the world go round. 80% of household chores are done by women for free and anonymously. I want to celebrate exceptional women, but also give a place to this everyday strength." Among the figures who inspire her and whose voices and actions she evokes are the Swiss artist and prostitute Grise´lidis Re´al, or Las Patronas, the Mexican guardian angels who throw food and water to those who have decided to migrate and illegally board freight trains bound for the USA.
Performed by Tanya Houghton, Jennifer Sturgeon, Jenny Bourke and Lynda Barrett, Sweet Chance is a lyrical journey for harp, flute and voice, inspired by artistic relationships forged through travel and chance encounters. From Parisian inspiration to a Belfast home, this recital programme ranges from Britten's Interlude to songs newly arranged with harp accompaniment, and Alwyn's virtuosic flute and harp duet, Naiades.
The pedal harp was presented in 1749 in a concert spiritual in Paris with unexpected, sensational success. Contrary to the earlier rattling, clattering harps equipped with a "manual switch", the semitones on the newly invented harp could be changed by foot, almost inaudibly. Experiments continued to be carried out for decades after, but this harp of single-action pedals completely changed the fate of the instrument. From the first great classical era of the harp, that being the second half of the 18th c., comes this presents selection of works for harp. Csilla Gulyás is a regular and oft-heard performer on the Hungarian musical scene; Classical Sonatas for Harp is her fourth Hungaroton recording.
At the center of this recording is the Suite liturgique by Andre Jolivet, a French composer whose neglect is utterly unjustified. Christiane Karg interprets this sacred work in a ravishing and captivating manner. Stefan Schilli, solo oboist of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, is the soloist of the other titles on this CD; his guests include Sebastian Klinger and Oliver Triendl.
C.P.E. Bach’s Flute Concerto in d, Wq 22 dates from his years in Berlin during the reign of Frederic the Great. + Bach’s music was the immediate starting point for Hans Werner Henze’s conception of musical and aesthetic history as well as for his work as a composer, so for example in his interpretative transcription of one of Bach’s Fantasias. + Mozart is here represented by his Concerto for Flute and Harp, KV 299. + “The young Argentinean flautist Maria Cecilia Muñoz has astounding technique… beauty and refinement of sound…supple opulence and luminous tone.” (Wiener Zeitung, Austria)
Candlelight Carols - Music for Chorus & Harp / Kerrod, Quigley, Seraphic Fire
Seraphic Fire Media
CD
$18.99Nov 11, 2014
As the third installment of “A Seraphic Fire Christmas”, Candlelight Carols: Music for Chorus and Harp is a unique collaboration between the pure, crystalline harp and warm, resonant voices. + This remarkable recording evokes an angelic, wintry atmosphere within an intimate, candle-lit chapel. + With Candlelight Carols, Seraphic Fire masterfully interweaves original arrangements of traditional carols with modern masterpieces. + Seraphic Fire is regarded as one of the preeminent chamber ensembles in the United States. In 2012, two of their recordings, Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem and A Seraphic Fire Christmas, were nominated for GRAMMY® awards. + Seraphic Fire was the only choral group in North or South America to be nominated, and the only classical ensemble in the world to receive nominations for two separate projects. + Led by Founder and Artistic Director Patrick Dupre´ Quigley, Seraphic Fire brings some of the finest singers and instrumentalists from around the country to perform repertoire ranging from Gregorian chant and Baroque masterpieces to newly commissioned works.
Helene Schuetz writes of this new release: “The inspiration for this recording and the choice of works came from the Gigue that ends J.S. Bach’s Partita in B flat major. When I first heard it in concert I knew immediately that this composition would work wonderfully for the harp. With the Gigue as my starting point, I began to arrange the Partita for harp. Of course, the instrument does have other tonal qualities than the piano – and, like any instrument, it has its technical limits when it comes to performance practice. When it comes to chromaticism, the mechanics of the harp are more limited than those of the piano, and one only has eight rather than ten fingers to play with. But it was precisely that challenge that fascinated me in the process of arranging the works: you first need to have a clear idea of the work's intention and to have formed your own view of its interpretation. The task then is to find ways and means to develop one's ideas and perhaps to achieve an even clearer interpretation than would have been possible on the original instrument. In this way, arranging the work for another instrument intensifies the performance, because the use of a new instrument allows other, new facets in the compositions to be illustrated and new tonal nuances achieved…”
Dionysus & Apollo: Music for Flute & Harp / Ortensi, Pasetti
Brilliant Classics
CD
$14.99Aug 28, 2020
The mythical figure of Pan is evoked by several composers on this album – explicitly so by Debussy, in his invocation to the Greek god which opens his set of six Epigraphes antiques and is here recorded for the first time in an arrangement for solo harp. Throughout the album, however, the world of Greek mythology infuses the music with a spirit of magical distance and enchantment. Claudio Ortensi and Anna Pasetti begin and end with a pair of rarely heard but delightful Divertissements grecs, by Jules Mouquet and Phillippe Gaubert. Another pair, of exquisite Esquisses antiques, reflects the refined taste and craft of Désiré-Emile Inghelbrecht, better known to us now as the conductor of a classic account of Pelléas et Mélisande. The Greek fountain-nymphs known as Naiads are sensuously portrayed by William Alwyn in a substantial tone-painting, and the tale of Apollo and the satyr Marsyas is told in haunting fashion by the contemporary Italian composer Tiziano Bedetti. A more fleeting evocation of fauns is brought to life by his elder colleague Salvatore Sciarrino, and between them comes the Third Capriccio by Nino Mazzoni: a piece of two contrasting movements which begins with a delicate and elegant dance for naiads and closes with a sharply drawn sketch of Pan himself, laughing and carousing. Claudio Ortensi and Anna Pasetti formed their duet in 2011, and since then have given many concerts as well as an annual series of masterclasses dedicated to exploring and refining performances of flute and harp repertoire.
