Music for harp

[KevinP]

I've been on a real harp kick lately. Like, to the point that I'm probably going to buy one--not a grand harp, but a good-sized floor-standing lever model.

Anyway, what are some harp pieces you like? Concertos, solo, chamber, whatever, so long as the harp has a prominent role.

I have the following concerti, all fairly recent additions except the Milhaud:
Milhaud
Ginestera
Gliere
Alwyn
Mathias
Tischenko

[Symphonic Addict]

Besides the ones you mentioned, these are also strong favorites:

Bax: Harp Quintet
Britten: Suite for solo harp
Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Concertino for harp and orchestra
Debussy: Danses for harp and strings
Dohnányi: Concertino for harp and orchestra
Hindemith: Harp Sonata
Hovhaness: Harp Concerto
Jongen: Harp Concerto
Lutoslawski: Double concerto for oboe, harp and orchestra
Pierné: Concertstück for harp and orchestra
Rautavaara: Harp Concerto
Reinecke: Harp Concerto
Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez
Saint-Saëns: Fantasy for solo harp, Op. 95; Fantasy for violin and harp; Morceau de concert for harp and orchestra
Tveitt: Harp Concerto No. 2
Villa-Lobos: Harp Concerto

[KevinP]

I have the Rautaavara and Rodrigo as well. Knew I was forgetting some.

I like Hovhaness a lot but don't have that disc and it's now out of print. I may have to buy the .mp3s until it's available again.

[Mandryka]

One of my favourite pieces of music ever is for two harpists - Stockhausen's Freude (Klang)

[Roasted Swan]

By chance I got this disc recently;



its a new release and simply the most beautiful harp recital I have ever heard.  Mainly less familiar repertoire too alongside better known Impromptus by Pierne and Faure.  But the playing/sound/musicianship is just 1st class

[pjme]

The harp can be a fascinating instrument.

I like Henk Badings Concerto for harp and small orchestra (albeit with a prominent role for percussion - the slow movement is harp and percussion only).

https://www.youtube.com/v/TZVecuOJPrg

Other favorites, not yet mentioned:

Germaine Tailleferrre's very lovely Concertino

André Jolivet: Concerto for harp and chamber orchestra ("oeuvre dédiée à Lly Laskine", but written for the exams of harp students at the Conservatoire in 1952).

A rare, funny  & (s)light work : the Jazz concertino by Belgian composer/arranger Emile Deltour (1899-1956)

https://youtu.be/CKqYYtMfdsw

Other works with harp parts:
Frank Martin : Petite symphonie concertante (harp, piano, harpsichord and 2 string orchestras) and Dances for oboe, harp and strings (written for K.H. and Ursula Holliger)
Ravel: Introduction et allégro ( + the ovely short solo in the pianoconcerto in sol : first mov.)
Boris Tsjaikovsky's (strange...) Symphony for harp and orchestra
Don't forget Mozart's Harp & flute concerto

[LKB]

Nicanor Zabaleta was DG's go-to harpist back in the analog era. He put out an anthology of French harp pieces and transcriptions which was quite entertaining, here's an excerpt:

https://youtu.be/TqIc3qDZPZA

[vandermolen]

Bax, Gliere, Alwyn (as mentioned above) + these ones:

[Roasted Swan]

Bax wrote prominently for harp a lot.  This is a good starting disc;

[vandermolen]

Bax wrote prominently for harp a lot.  This is a good starting disc;

Looks most interesting.

[KevinP]

Concertino for Harp and Orchestra,  part 1 by Doug Lofstrom. The second (and final) part is on YouTube as well.

https://youtu.be/Ih_KO30Dp6c

[pjme]

I remember that Jean Michel Damase is rather well liked on the forum...
Here is an old recording of his concertino for harp and strings (1950-1951).
Mireille Flour (29 April 1906 in Marseille – 1984 a French classical harpist, naturalised Belgian) was quite famous, not only as a soloist, but also as leader of a harp quartet.



https://www.youtube.com/v/EH4Bd9PJ0As

and, more ambitious than Paul Deltour's (fun)Concertino à la jazz... Ede Terényi's Jazz concerto:

https://www.youtube.com/v/Hsou-xIysDw

Piet Swerts: Etoiles for harp and orchestra
https://youtu.be/LebbF8S39Jw

[KevinP]

I forgot Yun Isang/윤이상 wrote a bit for harp. I have some in my collection, and found some on YouTube.

https://youtu.be/6WwmukXFyrQ

https://youtu.be/WZS75hFoI2M

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Jazz/Fusion. Edmar Castaneda.

[relm1]

You like harps, you say?  Here are nine of them! 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gf6HJ_k2ocw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gf6HJ_k2ocw

Bernard Herrmann's "Between the Twelve Mile Reef".  Very lousy film but memorable score.  I once heard it performed live with the nine harpists surrounding the stage.  I felt like I was in a bubble bath of sound.

[pjme]

There is also a younger generation of very talented harpists - who also compose and/or transcribe:

In the Netherlands: Remy van Kesteren en Lavinia Meyer

https://www.remyvankesteren.com/

https://www.laviniameijer.com/

In Belgium we are quite proud about Anneleen Lenaerts (member of the Vienna PhO)

https://www.anneleenlenaerts.com/

In France : Emmanuel Ceysson

https://www.emmanuelceysson.com/

[Pohjolas Daughter]

You like harps, you say?  Here are nine of them! 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gf6HJ_k2ocw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gf6HJ_k2ocw

Bernard Herrmann's "Between the Twelve Mile Reef".  Very lousy film but memorable score.  I once heard it performed live with the nine harpists surrounding the stage.  I felt like I was in a bubble bath of sound.

Neat!  Thanks for providing the link to that!

So, Kevin, when will you be purchasing your harp?

PD

[Spenserian]

Dittersdorf's harp concerto has to be among the great harp concertos, with that delightful rondo finale. It was actually originally a keyboard concerto, which is more rarely heard, because it works so perfectly for harp. Handel wrote a number of concertos later adapted to harp as well, which are among the earliest concertos in which the harp played a major role, apparently.

[KevinP]

So, Kevin, when will you be purchasing your harp?

Still up in the air. Would like to try before I buy, which is not the easiest thing to do with a harp.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Still up in the air. Would like to try before I buy, which is not the easiest thing to do with a harp.

How far away is the nearest company that sells them?  Or is their an instructor with whom you could take some lessons have several different ones that s/he would let you try playing on?

PD