MUSIC FOR HARP AND FLUTE

ALL ABOUT THE ARTS

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Lil’ David played on his harp in biblical times long before anyone conceived of actually writing music for it or employing it as an essential member of the symphony orchestra.

But in spite of its advanced age, the harp did not earn the respect it merits until the Franco-American Marcel Grandjanny adopted it as his chosen musical companion. It is a good thing he did, for were it not for his efforts to validate its importance, the very large and very hard to play harp would be one of the most underused members of the symphony orchestra.

And were it not for DELOS one would be hard put to find many CD’s dedicated to harp music. Music for Harp and Flute is the name of this 2002 release featuring two instruments long associated with ethereal sounds.

Center stage in this splendid recording are the Russian harpist Tatiana Oskolkova and flautist Oleg Sergeev, generously supported with the accompaniment of Constantine Orbelian’s Moscow Chamber Orchestra and its String Quartet, and the clarinet of Sergei Bolshakov.

The CD includes Mozart’s ubiquitous Concerto for Flute and Harp, Grandjanny’s Aria in Classic Style for Harp and Orchestra, Svetlanov’s Russian Variations for Harp and Orchestra, and Ravel’s miniature masterpiece Introduction and Allegro for Harp, Flute, Clarinet and String Quartet.

The playing of both soloists is exquisite, with Oskolkova producing a myriad sounds ranging from gossamer filigree to tapping on her instrument. Sergeev’s playing is agile and elegant in the Mozart and perfectly in sync with his fellow musicians in the Ravel.

Rafael de Acha

Published by ALL ABOUT THE ARTS

Rafael de Acha has enjoyed a distinguished career in the arts as a performer, stage director, producer, and educator. He was born and grew up in Cuba. At the age of 17 he moved to the United States to study Drama at the University of Minnesota, and later Languages at L.A. City College, Music at the Juilliard School of Music, at the University of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music, and at the New England Conservatory of Music, from which he received the Master's degree. He has taught courses on the History of Music at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music and at Florida International University, and contributed writings and reviews to Seen and Heard International (www.seenandheard-international.com ) and to this blog. He co-founded the award-winning New Theatre in Coral Gables, Florida, where he produced and staged twenty seasons of classical and contemporary theater, including fifty world premieres of plays that went on to have international and national productions on and off Broadway, including Ana in the Tropics by Nilo Cruz (Pulitzer Prize for Drama 2002 and Tony Nomination 2003.) In 2006 he was presented with a citation from The Dade County Cultural Affairs Council for “trailblazing contributions to the arts in South Florida.”