21st century

21st century  ·  Artist  ·  composers  ·  Harp  ·  Music  ·  Stories
Knockroon Waltz

(english below)

Mijn eerste kennismaking met de muziek (en de persoon) van James Macmillan dateert uit een samenwerking met het Vlaams Radiokoor en de maestro zelf in het werk Seven Angels, voor koor, 2 trompetten(alsook natuur trompet en shofar), cello, percussie en harp.

‘De tekst is een uitgebreide tekst uit het boek Openbaring van Johannes, waar zeven engelen op bazuinen moesten blazen en waar bij elke bazuinstoot een nieuw apocalyptisch visioen ontstond, eindigend in het prachtige beeld: “Toen zag ik een nieuwe hemel en een nieuwe aarde, want de eerste hemel en de eerste aarde waren voorbijgegaan, en de zee was niet meer. En ik zag de heilige stad, het nieuwe Jeruzalem, nederdalende uit de hemel van God…’. (Boosey&Hawkes)

Het is een heel dramatisch werk, waarin ieder instrument uitgedaagd wordt in expressie en klank. Zoals ik later in ander orkestwerk en nu in deze Knockroon waltz ontdekte, heeft Macmillan ongelooflijk veel verbeelding en weet hij die verbeelding ook bij zijn luisteraar aan het werk te zetten. 

Toeschouwers vertelden me achteraf dat ze letterlijk in het verhaal gezogen werden, maar ook ik op het podium kreeg kippenvel bij iedere uitvoering. De kleine bezetting zorgt ervoor dat ieder instrument heel veel verschillende muzikale taken krijgt om het verhaal te vertellen en houdt het voor het koor qua volume zeer comfortabel waardoor de tekst echt domineert en imponeert.

Deze Knockroon Waltz is heel anders. De wals start in 4/4, wat voor een wals niet alledaags is! Het maakte me nieuwsgierig; soms ontdekte ik een zekere humor, dan weer eerder een gevoel van een plotse koerswijziging die enigszins destabiliseert. Hij speelt met flageoletten en glissandi en zet binnen de wals linkerhand en rechterhand ritmisch zodanig tegenover elkaar dat de wals lijkt te verschuiven, zoals een beeld dat uit elkaar schuift en plots uit 2 panelen bestaat. 

Hoewel het een kort stuk is, staat het ondertussen op mijn favorietenlijst en mag het zeker een plekje krijgen in ons standaardrepertoire!

Sir James maakte, joviaal als hij is, ook tijd om enkele vragen voor mijn blog te beantwoorden en zo blijkt nog maar eens hoe muziek bij de uitvoerder een nieuw eigen leven krijgt.

EG:

I am a little puzzled about the title: to my knowledge (for which I apologize is very little on this matter) ‘Knockroon’ is a development project initiated by Prince Charles…

The waltz feels somewhat mysterious for me; a waltz starting in 4 and again and again is interrupted, changes route.

JM:

Knockroon is in fact a development project initiated by Prince Charles. This is in the little East Ayrshire town of Cumnock where I grew up. In recent years I have established a festival there, The Cumnock Tryst – and I have written a number of works for it. This short harp work was composed for one of our visiting musicians. Like a number of other works written for the festival this piece references something in the locality which local people might recognize. Prince Charles has been an enthusiastic supporter of our endeavors and his people let us use Dumfries House as a venue for chamber music. Knockroon Waltz was premiered there.

I can’t really account for the slightly weird feeling to the music! On one level each piece can be seen as a gift but the music ends up seeing and hearing things that are not immediately apparent in everyday life.

EG:

The waltz is dedicated to the great harpist Gabriella dall’Olio. How did your collaboration originate?

JM:

Gabriellla was visiting our festival as a member of The Hebrides Ensemble and I needed to write a solo work for the intimate Tapestry Room in Dumfries House. She gave a mini recital there which included the new piece.

EG:

When I read a book I often wonder, what does someone encourage to write, where does the urge come from? And I think it preoccupies me even more in the case of music writing. How does one get inspired to write music? What are the things that prompt you to start writing a piece? And how does the choice of instrumentation happen?

JM:

Sometimes the initial prompt for a piece of music can be very practical considerations like the scenario I have described above. But beyond these first steps something mysterious kicks in. And a composer can sometimes be surprised by this. There lies a subconscious layer of mental and artistic activity which springs unexpectedly into action once the more prosaic decisions are made. I think this is what happened here too.

EG:

We harpists are obsessed by damping(as you can read in my blog and other interviews). Some composers put our minds at ease by explaining that they love the resonance of the harp when they write and they expect sounds to continue. In your piece I made my own choices about damping, when I thought the raging sound could provide more power or more character, I did let it ring. But honest, it was one of my main concerns whilst playing this piece. How do you experience our damping neurosis 🙂 , in more serious words, do you reflect a lot on this whilst writing?

JM:

Mostly I like the ringing quality of the harp, but there are instances where a much drier sound is required. I’m still on a learning curve as to how and when these differences should be indicated. I am also quite non-proprietorial about my music and I welcome interpretations which can sometimes be wildly different from one player to the next.

EG:

In a symphonic work, every instrument group has its role to be played. What is the role you associate with the colour of a harp part?

JM:

I love using the harp in my orchestral works. There are various and different functions it can provide. I love the sense of clarity in attack it can give to the beginning of phrases, but I also like the way it can interact with other instruments to produce new sonorities and textures, from doubling with a flute to merging with a high tremulous shimmering on the violins. Or simply allowing it to come into its own as a special moment. I always feel there is something magical about the presence of the harp in its various potential appearances in orchestral music.

EG:

A question I also asked other composers; do you experience any shortcomings on the harp, that you feel can be technically improved by the modern harp builders?

JM:

I’d never really thought about this! However, I sometimes try to use very low, fast and loud downward glissandos for dramatic effects. But if I’m not careful it can cause a terrible crackling rumble. Some players seem to avoid it but I can never be sure what’s going to happen.

 

Listen here to Knockroon Waltz by James Macmillan

My first acquaintance with the music (and the person) of James Macmillan dates from a collaboration with the maestro in the work Seven Angels, for choir, 2 trumpets (as well as natural trumpet and shofar), cello, percussion and harp.

‘The text is an extended one from the Book of Revelation where seven angels were given trumpets to blow and with each trumpet blast a new apocalyptic vision emerged ending in the wonderful image ‘Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God…’. (Boosey&Hawkes)

It is a very dramatic work, in which each instrument is challenged in expression and sound. As I discovered later in other orchestral works and now in this Knockroon Waltz, Macmillan has an incredibly rich imagination and he knows how to put that imagination to work for his listeners too. 

Spectators told me afterwards that they were literally sucked into the story, but even I, on stage, got goose bumps with every performance. The small instrumentation ensures that each instrument is given many different musical tasks to tell the story and keeps it very comfortable for the choir in terms of balance so that the text really dominates and impresses.

This Knockroon Waltz is very different. The waltz starts in 4/4, which is quite unusual for a waltz! It immediately made me curious; sometimes I detected a certain wit, other times rather a sense of a sudden change of direction that somewhat destabilizes. He plays with flageolets and glissandi and within the waltz, he contrasts left and right hand rhythmically in such a way that the waltz seems to shift, like a sculpture that shifts apart and suddenly consists of two panels. 

Although it is a short piece, it is definitely on my list of favorites and should certainly get a place in our standard repertoire!

Sir James, jovial as he is, also made time to answer some questions for my blog and this shows once again how music takes on a new life of its own through the performer.

E:

I am a little puzzled about the title: to my knowledge (for which I apologize is very little on this matter) ‘Knockroon’ is a development project initiated by Prince Charles…

The waltz feels somewhat mysterious for me; a waltz starting in 4 and again and again is interrupted, changes route.

JM:

Knockroon is in fact a development project initiated by Prince Charles. This is in the little East Ayrshire town of Cumnock where I grew up. In recent years I have established a festival there, The Cumnock Tryst – and I have written a number of works for it. This short harp work was composed for one of our visiting musicians. Like a number of other works written for the festival this piece references something in the locality which local people might recognize. Prince Charles has been an enthusiastic supporter of our endeavors and his people let us use Dumfries House as a venue for chamber music. Knockroon Waltz was premiered there.

I can’t really account for the slightly weird feeling to the music! On one level each piece can be seen as a gift but the music ends up seeing and hearing things that are not immediately apparent in everyday life.

 

E:

The waltz is dedicated to the great harpist Gabriella dall’Olio. How did your collaboration originate?

JM:

Gabriellla was visiting our festival as a member of The Hebrides Ensemble and I needed to write a solo work for the intimate Tapestry Room in Dumfries House. She gave a mini recital there which included the new piece.

 

E:

When I read a book I often wonder, what does someone encourage to write, where does the urge come from? And I think it preoccupies me even more in the case of music writing. How does one get inspired to write music? What are the things that prompt you to start writing a piece? And how does the choice of instrumentation happen?

JM:

Sometimes the initial prompt for a piece of music can be very practical considerations like the scenario I have described above. But beyond these first steps something mysterious kicks in. And a composer can sometimes be surprised by this. There lies a subconscious layer of mental and artistic activity which springs unexpectedly into action once the more prosaic decisions are made. I think this is what happened here too.

E:

We harpists are obsessed by damping(as you can read in my blog and other interviews). Some composers put our minds at ease by explaining that they love the resonance of the harp when they write and they expect sounds to continue. In your piece I made my own choices about damping, when I thought the raging sound could provide more power or more character, I did let it ring. But honest, it was one of my main concerns whilst playing this piece. How do you experience our damping neurosis 🙂 , in more serious words, do you reflect a lot on this whilst writing?

JM:

Mostly I like the ringing quality of the harp, but there are instances where a much drier sound is required. I’m still on a learning curve as to how and when these differences should be indicated. I am also quite non-proprietorial about my music and I welcome interpretations which can sometimes be wildly different from one player to the next.

 

E:

In a symphonic work, every instrument group has its role to be played. What is the role you associate with the colour of a harp part?

JM:

I love using the harp in my orchestral works. There are various and different functions it can provide. I love the sense of clarity in attack it can give to the beginning of phrases, but I also like the way it can interact with other instruments to produce new sonorities and textures, from doubling with a flute to merging with a high tremulous shimmering on the violins. Or simply allowing it to come into its own as a special moment. I always feel there is something magical about the presence of the harp in its various potential appearances in orchestral music.

 

E:

A question I also asked other composers; do you experience any shortcomings on the harp, that you feel can be technically improved by the modern harp builders?

I’d never really thought about this! However, I sometimes try to use very low, fast and loud downward glissandos for dramatic effects. But if I’m not careful it can cause a terrible crackling rumble. Some players seem to avoid it but I can never be sure what’s going to happen.

 

juli 27, 2022

21st century  ·  Artist  ·  composers  ·  Concert  ·  Music  ·  Orchestra  ·  Stories
Eolian, a new concerto for harp.

(english below)

 

Ondertussen is het een jaar geleden dat ik startte met mijn ‘Gps voor harp repertoire’ en wat een boeiend jaar was het al, maar nog spannender is vast te stellen dat uit de geplante zaadjes van vorig jaar, een eerste oogst op komst is.

Tijdens mijn aftoetsende contacten met componisten, leerde ik Geoffrey Gordon kennen. Hij was net een solo werk voor harp aan het schrijven (in opdracht van het Frankfurt Radio Symfonisch orkest en collega harpiste Anne-Sophie Bertrand) en zo was een aanknopingspunt snel gevonden. Hij vertelde me hoe hij er van droomde om aan zijn reeds indrukwekkende reeks concerti, ook een concerto voor harp te kunnen toevoegen. En kijk, één jaar later staan de eerste 2 delen al op mijn pupiter en zal de première plaatsvinden op 28 oktober 2022!

Ook deze weg was een avontuur: aanvankelijk mailden we wat over koetjes en kalfjes en verwachtte ik helemaal niet dat dit concreet ergens naar zou leiden – hoe vaak blijven zulke gesprekken niet bij dromen over – , maar al snel kwam het besef dat de liefde voor de harp, de behoefte om nieuw repertoire te spelen -en voor Geoffrey, te schrijven- voor beiden even sterk was/is. 

Vervolgens wat lichte paniek!: de gesprekken zijn te ver om er niets mee te doen, maar hoe pakken we dit praktisch aan? Hiervoor kan ik alleen maar mijn oprechte dank aan Brussels Philharmonic uiten, zij geloven in dit project en sprongen mee op de kar om deze creatie mogelijk te maken!

En dan trekt de componist zich terug en moest ik wachten, niet bepaald één van mijn sterke punten 🙂 en hopen dat het zou bekoren, stel je voor dat er een werk in je mail landt, waar je geen enkele affiniteit voor voelt…

Gelukkig is dat niet zo, integendeel! 

Het werk draagt de titel ‘Eolian’, naar ‘The Eolian Harp’  een gedicht van Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

Het concerto is erg harpig(als dat nog geen woord is, dan voer ik het nu officieel in 🙂 doch zonder in clichés te vervallen. De orkestratie is bijzonder sfeervol en kleurrijk, voorlopig kan ik nog niet meer vertellen…

Wel vind ik het leuk om fragmenten uit onze uitgebreide mailcorrespondentie te delen in mijn blog; de geboorte van een nieuw concerto voor harp:

E: We connected somewhere around May last year, just at the starting point of my gps for harp repertoire, was this a coincidence or did the project attract your attention? 

G: The project did draw my attention! I had been interested in writing a harp concerto, but I had not identified the right partners – until I found you and your project and Brussels Phil! And how fortunate for me that I did – it has been an absolute pleasure working with you and the administration of the orchestra, from the very start of conversations. Incredibly professional and cordial and quite inspirational!

E: At that point a solo piece for harp was about to be created by Ann-Sophie Bertrand, ‘Jeux de creation’. I understand that this piece was commissioned, was this the first time ever you wrote for harp solo (I noticed that you have a chamber work for trio sonata!)

G: Jeux de creation was indeed a commission, and it was not the first time I had written for harp, certainly, as the instrument has played an important role in my chamber and orchestral music for a long time. And as you say, I have a harp trio, called Bright White Smooth, which I wrote some time ago. But Jeux de creation was my first extended work for solo harp. Coming as it did, just before we began planning Eolian, it was a great way to become immersed in this amazing instrument. 

E: What do you find difficult/challenging/exciting in writing for harp? 

G: Well, as you know, it is a fantastic instrument! Capable of so many sounds and an extraordinary range, both in terms of pitch and dynamic. I think you could spend a lifetime exploring all of the ways this instrument can sound – it obviously does things no other instrument can do. But of course this comes at a price! There are challenges – most difficult is the tuning! As contemporary harmonic language has become unhinged from tonality, this challenge has become greater than ever before. A composer must always plan far in advance, in order to have the pitches available and within a timeframe that allows the player to shift those pedals! But as with any restriction, this is – in a way – extraordinarily liberating. The harp frees you from the habits of the other instruments – I think I write differently for this instrument, from conception to execution. It is fascinating. 

E: You already wrote quite a lot of concerti, winds in particular, how different is your approach in choosing themes, topics for each instrument and what inspires you in writing for harp? 

G: I have written many concerti – and many will follow, with a second cello concerto on the way, as well as new works for bassoon (BBC Philharmonic and Orchestre de la Suisse Romande), oboe (Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra) English horn (Antwerp Symphony Orchestra) two clarinet concerti (a long list of collaborators on these!) and plans for my first piano concerto. So if nothing else, I will be busy (if I left anyone out, my apologies!).  One of the great pleasures of my job is having the opportunity to explore all sorts of subjects, arts, artists, literature, paintings, poetry, etc., while writing these works. And this was true when planning Eolian. The Coleridge poem seemed like such a natural fit, with a text that is magical and evocative and perfectly suited to the subtleties of the harp. I have had those words – which are also inscribed on the movements of the score – in my mind as I write. I hope the audience (and the performers!) will feel these words are woven intrinsically into the notes of Eolian … and that they are as inspired as I was writing this piece. 

 

 

 

Already one year has past, since I started my ‘GPS for harp repertoire’ and what an exciting year it has been, but it is even more thrilling to see that the seeds planted last year are growing and ready to be harvested.

During my exploratory contacts with composers, I got to know Geoffrey Gordon. At this time he was writing a solo work for harp (commissioned by the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra and colleague  Anne-Sophie Bertrand) and as such conversation was easily made. He told me how he dreamed of adding a concerto for harp to his already impressive series of concertos. And look, one year later, the first two movements are already on my stand and the premiere will take place on the 28th October 2022!

What a great adventure it has already been: at first, we mailed about this and that and I didn’t expect it would lead to anything concrete – how often do such conversations remain daydreaming – but it soon dawned that the love for the harp, the desire to play new repertoire – and to write in Geoffrey ’s case- was/is equally strong for both of us. 

Then, some light panic: the conversations were too far gone and a project inevitable, but how were we going to tackle this? For this I can only express my sincere thanks to the Brussels Philharmonic, they believe in this project and jumped on the bandwagon to make this creation possible!

Next, the composer withdrew from the scene and I had to wait, not exactly one of my strongest points 🙂 and hope that I would be enchanted, imagine that a work lands in your mail, for which you feel no affinity whatsoever…

Fortunately, this is not the case, on the contrary! 

The work is entitled ‘Eolian’, after ‘The Eolian Harp’, a poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

The concerto is very harp-like but without falling into clichés. The orchestration is very atmospheric and colorful, that’s all I can tell for now….

I do like to share some excerpts from our extensive mail correspondence in my blog; the birth of a new concerto for harp.

E: We connected somewhere around May last year, just at the starting point of my gps for harp repertoire, was this a coincidence or did the project attract your attention?

G: The project did draw my attention! I had been interested in writing a harp concerto, but I had not identified the right partners – until I found you and your project and Brussels Phil! And how fortunate for me that I did – it has been an absolute pleasure working with you and the administration of the orchestra, from the very start of conversations. Incredibly professional and cordial and quite inspirational!

E: At that point a solo piece for harp was about to be created by Ann-Sophie Bertrand, ‘Jeux de creation’. I understand that this piece was commissioned, was this the first time ever you wrote for harp solo (I noticed that you have a chamber work for trio sonata!)

G: Jeux de creation was indeed a commission, and it was not the first time I had written for harp, certainly, as the instrument has played an important role in my chamber and orchestral music for a long time. And as you say, I have a harp trio, called Bright White Smooth, which I wrote some time ago. But Jeux de creation was my first extended work for solo harp. Coming as it did, just before we began planning Eolian, it was a great way to become immersed in this amazing instrument. 

E: What do you find difficult/challenging/exciting in writing for harp?

G: Well, as you know, it is a fantastic instrument! Capable of so many sounds and an extraordinary range, both in terms of pitch and dynamic. I think you could spend a lifetime exploring all of the ways this instrument can sound – it obviously does things no other instrument can do. But of course this comes at a price! There are challenges – most difficult is the tuning! As contemporary harmonic language has become unhinged from tonality, this challenge has become greater than ever before. A composer must always plan far in advance, in order to have the pitches available and within a timeframe that allows the player to shift those pedals! But as with any restriction, this is – in a way – extraordinarily liberating. The harp frees you from the habits of the other instruments – I think I write differently for this instrument, from conception to execution. It is fascinating. 

E: You already wrote quite a lot of concerti, winds in particular, how different is your approach in choosing themes, topics for each instrument and what inspires you in writing for harp?

G: I have written many concerti – and many will follow, with a second cello concerto on the way, as well as new works for bassoon (BBC Philharmonic and Orchestre de la Suisse Romande), oboe (Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra) English horn (Antwerp Symphony Orchestra) two clarinet concerti (a long list of collaborators on these!) and plans for my first piano concerto. So if nothing else, I will be busy (if I left anyone out, my apologies!).  One of the great pleasures of my job is having the opportunity to explore all sorts of subjects, arts, artists, literature, paintings, poetry, etc., while writing these works. And this was true when planning Eolian. The Coleridge poem seemed like such a natural fit, with a text that is magical and evocative and perfectly suited to the subtleties of the harp. I have had those words – which are also inscribed on the movements of the score – in my mind as I write. I hope the audience (and the performers!) will feel these words are woven intrinsically into the notes of Eolian … and that they are as inspired as I was writing this piece. 

 

 

juni 17, 2022

21st century  ·  Artist  ·  composers  ·  Harp  ·  Music  ·  Stories
GPSummer

(english below)

Sommigen vragen me waarvoor GPS precies staat of er een verborgen harpcode in zit 🙂 Het is echter gewoon de afkorting van global positioning system, omdat het voor mij het beste uitdrukt hoe ik als harpiste een weg in ons zeer vreemd opgebouwd repertoire tracht te vinden. 

Vreemd omdat we meer repertoire van componist-harpisten hebben dan van componisten uit de canon, vreemd omdat de mooiste melodieën misschien eerder in kamermuziek en orkestwerk te vinden zijn, omdat we duidelijk ook sterk gekoppeld worden aan bepaalde trends, omdat mensen nog steeds reageren: jij speelt harp??? 

…maar o zo interessant, want componisten die de durf hebben om voor harp te schrijven, lijken dan plots avontuurlijker in deze composities dan in andere, misschien omdat de harp echt wel tot de verbeelding spreekt.

Sinds de start van mijn  GPS in juni 2021 is het al een boeiende reis geworden. Heel veel fijne gesprekken en correspondentie leidden me op verschillende kleurrijke paden. 

Voor elke vraag die ik me stel komen er vier in de plaats en wordt mijn inzicht over uitvoeringspraktijk voortdurend bijgestuurd. Van de lange lijst werken die ik wil opnemen in mijn GPS verandert de volgorde ook voortdurend, omdat ik graag de vragen die bij me opduiken meteen in de praktijk wil brengen en bespreken in mijn blog en dat stuurt me onverbiddelijk naar bepaald repertoire.  

Op het einde van deze reis beoog ik een uitgebreid representatief repertoire voor harp van componisten uit de canon (20ste en 21ste eeuw) opgenomen te hebben als één groot verhaal dat hedendaags componisten hopelijk zal inspireren om te blijven schrijven voor dit wondermooie instrument.

Twee weken geleden sloot ik mezelf opnieuw enkele dagen op in de studio bij Motormusic voor het vervolg van mijn gps. Zowel het werkproces daar naartoe, als ook de opnamesessies zelf zijn zo extreem boeiend en voedend voor jezelf als musicus. Het resultaat van dit werk zal tijdens de komende wintermaanden gereleased worden, net zoals dat tijdens de zomermaanden gebeurde. 

Naar aanleiding van de nieuwe ‘Winter’ reeks die vanaf 17 december start, werden de verschillende zomermaanden (met werk van Britten, Hosokawa, Takemitsu en Debussy) gebundeld in het eerste verhaal en samen uitgebracht als GPSummer.(luister hier)

One regularly asks what GPS means in this project, if it is some kind of secret harp code :), but it is rather trivial the acronym of general positioning system, because for me it explains best how I try to find my way in the very peculiar structure of the harp repertoire. Peculiar because we have more pieces from harpist-composers than others, peculiar because maybe the most enchanting melodies are to find in chamber music or orchestra repertoire, because our popularity is definitely tied to certain artistic trends and also because people still tend to react: you play the harp???

Although our repertoire might be off the unusual kind it is nevertheless extremely fascinating. Composers who do dare to write for us, seem to be more adventurous in these works, perhaps because the harp really appeals to the imagination.

Since I started my GPS in June 2021 it has been an incredible captivating journey. Lots of wonderful conversations and correspondence have led me to many different colorful pathways.

For each question I pose myself another four pop up and thus my view on performance practice is constantly being adjusted. The order in which I want to record my long list of works for this gps also changes ongoing, because I want to have the freedom of treating pertinent questions in a meaningful and corresponding (to my blog)way.

On the end of this journey I aim to have recorded a representative repertoire for harp from the 20th and 21st century, glued together in one endless story that can inspire composers of today to keep writing for this beautiful instrument.

Two weeks ago I locked myself in the studio of Motormusic again to record the sequel of my gps. Both the working process as the recording sessions themselves are extremely enthralling and nourishing for myself as a musician. The result will be released in the upcoming winter months, like published during the summer.

In the light of this new ‘Winter’ series that will start on December 17th, the summer months (with works by Britten-Hosokawa, Takemitsu and Debussy) were compiled to a first story waiting for many more and released as GPSummer. (listen here)

december 2, 2021

21st century  ·  composers  ·  Harp  ·  Music  ·  pedals  ·  Stories
Keep calm and pedal on!

(english below)

In de gesprekken die ik tot nu toe had over dit gps-project zijn al veel verschillende issues naar boven gekomen, maar het onderwerp dat toch het meest aan de oppervlakte drijft is de problematiek van de pedalen en als gevolg daarvan de chromatische beperkingen bij het componeren voor harp.

Alle harpisten zullen het met me eens zijn dat we nu en dan al eens stevig zitten te vloeken op de vele, vaak bijna onmogelijke pedaalwijzigingen in een stuk. 

Soms is het voetenwerk technisch veel moeilijker dan het vingerwerk en bovendien moet de coördinatie perfect zitten om geen bijgeluiden te hebben of een foute noot te laten klinken als er ergens een pedaal net die fractie te vroeg of te laat komt.

Zelfs de grootste solisten heb ik tijdens live performances wel eens een kortstondige onenigheid met hun pedalen weten te hebben; we kunnen dus toch wel van een handicap spreken.

Plots echter is er iets anders dat me hierbij bezighoudt: de positionering van de pedalen. Reeds In 1720 bij de ontwikkeling van de single action harp werd de huidige rangschikking gehanteerd(si, do, re links en mi, fa, sol, la rechts)

Toen de ontwikkeling van de dubbele pedaalharp volop bezig was, zaten we qua stijlperiode in de klassiek, stilaan leunend naar de romantiek. 

Je zou dus kunnen vermoeden dat de keuze om de pedalen zo te rangschikken, grotendeels beïnvloed werd door de algemeen gangbare schriftuur van die tijd, maar ondertussen zijn we meer dan 200 jaar verder en is er qua stijl heel wat veranderd. 

Uiteraard schrijven hedendaagse componisten zodanig dat de chromatische wijzigingen haalbaar zijn, dit ondermeer omdat ze zich documenteren en naslagwerken zoals Salzedo’s Modern study of the harp hiervoor als basis gebruiken. Ze moeten rekening houden met haalbare chromatiek (hersteld, kruis of mol) maar evengoed met de bediening van de pedalen voor de vorming ervan (2 simultane wijzigingen aan zelfde zijde vermijden).

Ik vraag me alleen af of deze erg pragmatische werkwijze -die steeds al moeilijk was- in het hedendaags muzikale denken niet nog veel complexer wordt en dus in grotere mate de componist beperkt in zijn stilistische vrijheid bij het schrijven voor de harp?

 

 

In the numerous conversations I had about my gps project, a lot of different issues came along, but one subject always floats near the surface: the complexity of the pedal mechanism and the way it restrains composers in writing for harp.

All harpists will agree that we often curse on the countless almost impossible pedal changes some pieces demand of us. 

Sometimes the footwork is far more complex and technically demanding than the finger work. On top of this it needs to be perfectly coordinated to avoid having buzzing sounds, or worse, a wrong note if a pedal was applied just a little too early or too late.

Even the most exquisite soloists have been heard having a slight disagreement with their pedals during live performances, so the pedals of a harp can be called a real disability.

But something else is absorbing me on this matter: the position of the pedals.

When the single action harp was developed around 1720, the current pedal arrangement was already put in place( B,C,D to the left and E,F,G,A to the right)

During the processing of the double action harp we are talking classicism slowly encountering romantics. We could assume that the choice of organizing the pedals the way the are was influenced by that time’s common writing, but meanwhile we are talking over 200 years ago and a lot has changed since in musical style and composing.

Obviously contemporary composers write in such a way that all pedal changes are possible, amongst other things because they are well documented by reference works such as Salzedo’s Modern study of the harp(and many other to follow off course)

They need to keep in mind the harmonic changes of each note (natural, flat or sharp) as well as the operation of the pedals to achieve the placing of this note(no simultaneous changes at one side of the harp).

I am just wondering if this pragmatic approach -which always has been extremely difficult- isn’t getting even more complex in today’s musical mind set and as such narrows down the stylistic freedom of the composer in writing for harp?

oktober 5, 2021

21st century  ·  Artist  ·  composers  ·  Concert  ·  Harp  ·  Orchestra  ·  Uncategorized
Interview with Stéphane Denève

On the 12th March 2020 we played our last concert with Brussels Philharmonic before closing for a long time because of the Covid-19 pandemic. That evening we already had an empty hall  out of precaution, but little did we know what was coming upon us. During what looked like an endless period of streaming concerts, having few or no audience and sitting miles away from my colleagues on stage, we finally re-open our season with REAL concerts!

Our music director Stéphane Denève is conducting Macmillan, Brahms and Schubert on this Saturday’s opening concert. The ideal moment to ask him some gps-related questions, on which he reflected with great pleasure.

 

EG: A lot of composers use harp in their symphonic work to create special colors, very often in a soloist way. Like the piano, the harp can stand on her own in a recital, she doesn’t need accompaniment, still she is very little used for solo repertoire by the great composers of the 20th century.

As a conductor can you think of any reason why this phenomenon has occurred?

SD: For me the first reason is the difficult competition with the piano, that has the advantage to have a pedal to stop the resonance, it makes a huge difference in performing. 

The second reason I believe is indeed to write well harmonically. I am always surprised that even very good and famous composers lack the knowledge of how to write for harp. They do not really understand the pedal system; like for instance 3 on the left side and 4 on the right, also how to write for four fingers instead of five doesn’t always seem obvious for composers today. 

Even Strauss wasn’t really aware of this, which is very peculiar but off course if there would have been composers who wanted to be more inventive in sound or colors at that time than the language naturally became also more chromatic and then again they bumped into the restrictions of the harp. 

That is a pity, because as you know I am totally fan of the harp and one can write fantastic things that actually make the technical difficulties an inspiring way to overcome the limits and to create something original. 

Like Berlioz’ most inventive ideas of orchestration were always evoked by using the limits of the instruments: f.e. in the classical time, where the timpani could not retune easily, you had to limit your symphony to 2 or 3 timpani maximum and that is interesting because it forced Beethoven to use the timpani at one particular moment and not another. 

If you now should add the timpani on other places because we can and we can use different tonalities -and it has been tried-, it doesn’t work, it sounds wrong. So that actually means that the creativity with which Beethoven used the limits of this instrument was very inventive and renewing. 

This is the same for the harp, the difficulty of the harmonic language can be overcome with more creativity.

What I think is also interesting is that some composers try to help solve the harmonic problem by writing for two harps in the orchestra and then you can mix more tonalities, but it is sadly not used enough. 

The last reason is -and it might be something in which we will disagree- that it is very difficult to imagine the harp singing. What ever we think about the piano, it is a percussion instrument, but still we know that we can make the piano sing and I don’t think composers believe they can make the harp sing.

When you look at how to make the harp project it’s sound it is an effect which combines the piano and the harpsichord sound and composers are scared of this harpsichord sound.

Even if the harpsichord has been used with a singing effect in slow movements in Couperin f.e., it is not associated with a very lyrical sound. So composers should imagine more the possibility of writing for the harp in a singing way, because it can sing I believe and it is definitely more singing than the harpsichord.

EG: When we look into the orchestra, we have the woodwinds, the strings, the brass, the percussion and the lonely harp. Do you as a conductor subdivide us in a group when you are discovering a score?

S: I feel that it belongs to a lot of different groups; off course because of the attack and the resonance we could say that it belongs to the percussion group.

In the eighteenth and nineteenth century the harp was often used in only one way, which is a celeste way, a big lyre for the gods. The created effects in that period for me are a mix between the charm of the Paris salon and divinity.

From the beginning of the impressionism the harp was used in more specific ways, which stayed for a long time. Composers should use more effects they don’t know, like what you can do with the key on the strings or using paper, usually there is some imagination lacking in the way one writes for the harp and again that is a pity because the harp can be a very specific instrument to create special sounds that no other instrument in the orchestra can produce.

EG: In works by Strauss and Wagner f.e., there’s often a heavy orchestration in which the harp plays lots and lots of notes. I always feel that this is acoustically not very efficient. Why do you think would composers have written this and is there an added value for you as a conductor?

S: I totally agree, I am puzzled that people like Strauss and Wagner did not understand very simple things like the volume of a harp, but I believe it is because of pianism: when you add a lot of notes  in a chord or arpeggio on the piano the sounds gets bigger, the more notes you play together on the piano the larger and heavier the sound, but that is not the case on the harp, on the contrary you damp previously played notes, delete harmonic colors  and make even less sound.

But still, even in a very heavy orchestration it does add something, when you remove it it is like a spice missing in your dinner, maybe you don’t hear it as an audience when it is played, but you would notice if it was left out.

EG: What are the main issues or concerns you experience when a harp part is executed? Is there anything you would like to see changed technically?

S: The dream would be to have different types of harps in one. You have the chromatic harp, which wasn’t successful because it killed the glissando, which for me is one of the most beautiful things on the harp, which need to stay part of the orchestra repertoire. 

I don’t know if people in future are still working on ideas were you can have both systems together, that you can switch from the pedal system to a chromatic system? It is a probably a dream of me…

Now that amplification is so wonderfully advanced, maybe we should think of having a system in the orchestra that can help raising the volume when needed, but off course it has to be done very carefully and keep the classical color of the harp, certainly it can not change it into a ‘poppy’ sound!

John Adams uses in his last pianoconcerto amplified bass, and it works very well, so it could work for harp as well I believe.

I hope that people continue to search to improve this instrument, because it is so beautiful, there is not another instrument like this and you recognize it immediately, you hear one sound and you say: that is a harp!

Openingsconcert of the new season of Brussels Philharmonic: Saturday, 11th September 2021 more info click here

september 9, 2021

21st century  ·  composers  ·  Harp  ·  Japan  ·  Music  ·  Stories
Interview with Toshio Hosokawa

After Britten’s Suite for harp, the month of July brings the release of 2 Japanese folksongs by Toshio Hosokawa

This 21st century piece so touched me in the way the composition is build. In the first song(Falling Cherry blossoms) so many different ways of playing are suggested for the harpist; from gong-like-strokes to very thin sound patterns that evoke extreme transparency.

The pedals are used to add even more effect to the sound, in this way not being a shortcoming for the harmonic possibilities but an added value in sonority. 

The second song(Lullaby for Itsuki) is a declamation of tradition, using the possibilities of today’s techniques on the harp to make it very fresh but none the less intimate. 

In this music you feel the serenity of nature, but also the power it has over us. Music of the 21st century rooted in Japanese tradition.

Playing these pieces addressed all my emotions. Every performance gave me new insights and connected me very strongly with the inexhaustible possibilities of my instrument, in this way  abducting my listeners into the wonderful world of Toshio Hosokawa.

This worldwide praised Japanese composer has a large oeuvre of orchestral, chamber and solo music and wrote already quite a lot of pieces for harp (solo as well as chamber music with harp and a harp concerto), obvious that he should be included in my gps for harp repertoire.

Mr. Hosokawa was so kind to answer some questions I have regarding my gps project. Luckily in these Corona times, there is the bliss of email traffic, making it possible to exchange some thoughts between Belgium and Japan.

EG: A lot of composers use harp in their symphonic work to create special colors, very often in a soloist way. Like the piano, the harp can stand on her own in a recital, she doesn’t need accompaniment, still she is very little used for solo repertoire by the great composers of the 20th century. As a composer yourself, can you think of any reason why this phenomenon has occurred?

TH: Unlike the piano, the chromatic scale is not easy for harp and modulating in the tonality is very complex, it needs to be well thought out by the composer. Also compared with piano, the harp has narrow dynamic possibilities. I personally love this limitation of harp but I am not a European composer. As an Asian composer my premiere interest in music instruments, is the color of the sound; harp can produce dreamlike sounds.

EG: When one reads Berlioz’ Traité d’instrumentation d’orchestration and specifically the part of the harp, you find that Berlioz cautions a lot for things that the harp is NOT able to do or what composers should treat carefully. Any thoughts on this?

TH: In Berlioz’ time, the piano was the king of instruments. So for any composer that was used to writing for piano, the harp was very complex and extremely difficult to compose for. 

EG: You mentioned that you love the harp. What do you find the unique characteristics of the harp, in other words, why are you attracted to write for this instrument?

TH: I have a lot of dear memories to the Koto, a Japanese instrument. When I was a kid, I often heard my mother playing the Koto at home. For me the harp and the Koto are very related. All my harp music brings back the memories of my home. 

EG: Does writing for harp demand another approach in your harmonic thinking because of the pedals and the resonance?

TH: Yes, absolutely! In my compositions I mainly use modal scales to avoid too many pedal changes.

EG: Do you experience any shortcomings on the harp, that you feel can be technically improved by the modern harp builders?

TH: For me there is only one main problem: the strength and projection of the sound. When I was composing the harp concerto I encountered a lot of problems in the balance between the orchestra and the harp.

EG: Is it more difficult to write for harp in comparison to another instrument? Do you have any explanation for why we often have to settle with an Impromptu or Fantaisie and much less with longer, extended pieces like sonatas. Could it be that our sound idiom is related to a specific type of composing?

TH: The reason could be that the sound of the harp is too delicate. Delicate music can’t stand too long by itself, it is too overpowering to listen to for a long time. It is also very difficult as a composer to make a big musical development with such delicate sounds without losing their integrity.

EG: In your work I found the way you use the different sounds of the harp very inspiring. I never once needed to think about damping, false resonance or mixed harmonic chords everything felt so logical. Is the harp more an instrument of the tradition than of the classical culture?

TH: Absolutely. When composing for harp, I think about the Koto all the time. Harp is my Western Koto!

EG: Are there any composers you turn to for research about how to write for harp and if so in which way do they inspire you?

TH: Toru Takemitsu’s Stanza II, Berio’s Sequenza and also Holliger’s Sequenzen really opened my view on harp music. They showed me more possibilities and gave me great inspiration.

EG: What is your feeling about playing scores that are not originally for our instrument. Can we play a piece originally intended for piano on harp to enrich our repertoire?

TH: Honestly, I don’t like them too much, I far more prefer to listen to original harp music!

 

juli 2, 2021

21st century  ·  Artist  ·  glissando  ·  harmonics  ·  Harp
The beauty of a day’s work (2)

(english below)

Als je een harpist(e) in een interview leest dan merk je vaak iets terugkerend: de behoefte om te laten verstaan dat de harp veel meer kan dan rollende akkoorden spelen en toverachtige glissandi produceren, de behoefte om te beklemtonen dat er een andere kant is aan ons instrument, een robuustere, die willen we tonen aan ons publiek, om zo ons engelachtige imago af te werpen.

Moeten we ons imago bijsturen? Is er iets mis met de elementen die de harp zo stereotyperen?

Let’s face it, hoe hard we ook proberen, als je een heavy metal band wil starten heb je niet het juiste instrument gekozen, als je wil imponeren met je klankvolume, tja dan zijn trombone lessen misschien een goed idee.

Deze week staat er een partij op mijn orkestpupiter die je alleen maar feeëriek kan noemen: Ma Mère l’Oye van Ravel. 

Ik steek niet onder stoelen of banken dat Ravel absoluut één van mijn lievelingscomponisten is, misschien omdat die muziek zo ongelofelijk vanzelfsprekend voelt op harp of misschien omdat ik deze muziek al vanuit mijn wieg hoorde. 

In dit mooie sprookje -dat hij oorspronkelijk voor vierhandig piano schreef en nadien zelf orkestreerde- zit er een kleine cadens voor de harp, deze omvat Ravels favoriete elementen: glissandi en flageoletten. 

Niet alleen in Ma Mère l’Oye(1911), maar ook in het Pianoconcerto en sol(1928-30) en in Introduction et allegro(1906, wat we kunnen beschouwen als een concerto voor harp met ensemble) gebruikt Ravel steeds de combinatie Aeolian flux en flageoletten.

Ik vond het een leuk idee om deze cadensen eens naast elkaar te leggen ter vergelijking en het resultaat van dat brouwsel kan je hier beluisteren.

We worden niet graag geassocieerd met glissandi, maar waarom niet eigenlijk? We zijn het enige instrument dat een eolische glissando kan spelen en ook flageoletten zijn één van onze hyperkarakteristieken, die omwille van het rechtstreekse contact met de hand op de snaar bijzonder warm en vol klinken, bovendien kunnen we op de harp over een zeer grote tessituur octaaf harmonieken spelen. 

“Art being based on the principle of accentuating characteristics and taking advantage of all organic differentiation, makes the very nature of the harp seem destined to be Aeolian.”

Carlos Salzedo

Hoe zeer wij harpisten dat delicate misschien willen ontvluchten, zowel de glissandi als de flageoletten worden ook verderop in de 20ste en 21ste eeuw één van de favoriete tools bij componisten. 

Glissandi krijgen variaties: dempen met één hand en met de andere hand glijden over de snaren; ritmische, ietwat abrupte snelle glissandi in clusterakkoorden, glissandi net onder de stempennen of juist boven de klankkast, verticaal over de snaren, pedaalglissandi enz.

Idem met de flageoletten: naast het octaaf, worden kwint- en tertsflageoletten ingezet en experimenteert men ook met de rariteit van het septiem. 

Moeten we het fragiele toch maar meer koesteren en ons erbij neerleggen dat bepaalde rollen niet voor ons zijn weggelegd? 

De truffel in de pasta zijn, het heeft ook wel iets…..

Vrijdag 2 juli 2021 om 20u: Honegger, Swerts, Ravel, meer info hier

 

 

 

When reading interviews with different harpists, they often have something in common: the need to express that the harp is capable of a lot more than playing rolling chords and magic glissandi, the need to emphasize that the instrument has a different side, much more robust, a side we want to show to our audience, in this way changing our angel-like image.

Do we need to adjust our image? Is there anything wrong with the stereotype characteristics of the harp?

Let’s face it, if you want to start a heavy metal band, you have chosen the wrong instrument. If you want to impress with your sound volume, a trombone course is maybe a good idea.

This week my orchestra stand is showing a beautiful fairy-like score: Ravel’s Ma Mère l’Oye.

I won’t deny that Ravel is one of my favorite composers, maybe because his music feels so natural playing it on harp, maybe because already as a baby I was soused in it.

This beautiful fairytale -originally for four hands piano and later on orchestrated by the master himself- features a small harp cadenza, which is build out of Ravel’s favorite harp techniques: glissandi and harmonics. 

Not only in Ma Mère l’Oye(1911), but also in his Pianoconcerto en sol(1928-30) and in Introduction et Allegro(1906, that we can consider a harp concerto with ensemble) he uses the combination of the Aeolian flux with harmonics.

This 3 look-a-like cadenza’s gave me the idea to compare them and you can listen here to the result of my stew.

We don’t like to be associated with glissandi, but why not? We are the only instrument that is capable of playing an Aeolian flux and also harmonics are one of our strongest characteristics, because of the wide range on which we can play them, but also because  they are directly formed by the hand, making a beautiful warm and round sound.

“Art being based on the principle of accentuating characteristics and taking advantage of all organic differentiation, makes the very nature of the harp seem destined to be Aeolian.”

Carlos Salzedo

As much as we would like to avoid being associated with only the delicacy of our instrument, glissandi as well as harmonics also become further on in the 20th and 21st century one of the favorite tools of composers.

Off course we find variety in the use of glissandi: sliding close to the sounding board, with the nails, gushing chords, pedal slides and also the harmonics are further explored by using harmonics in the tenth, twelfth and even searching to reach the fifteenth.

So shouldn’t we cherish our fragility and accept that some roles are just not for us?

Being the truffle in the pasta, sounds nice also….

Friday, July 2nd 2021 at 20.00: Honegger, Swerts, Ravel, info here

 

juni 28, 2021

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