7th March 6.30pm – concert (see below for programme) at 7 followed by supper – book here.
Those of you who came to the Korros concert in July will remember Camilla talking about her harp and how unexpectedly complex an instrument a modern concert harp is.
Harps of one kind or another have been played around the world from as early as 3000BC but they were usually smaller hand held stringed instruments. Gradually they started to grow in size and by the early 18th century primitive pedals had been introduced which enabled the player to raise and lower the pitch of a string. But it was not till the early 19th century that the increased flexibility allowed by the pedals broadened its use and it started to appear in orchestral scores.
A modern concert harp has seven foot-controlled pedals which can alter the pitch of its 47 strings, making it fully chromatic and thus able to play a wide body of classical repertoire. Most of the strings are gut, only the lower strings being steel. It has a six and a half octave range, nearly as wide a range as a piano, and harp music is written the same way as piano music – right hand treble, left hand bass. Strings are also coloured to make them easier to identify – red for Cs and black for Fs.
(For a really interesting introduction to the harp and the music it plays see this post on the Philharmonia site with a short video by Ruth Holden.)
In nineteenth century France the harp came into its own – as you will see from the composers that Camilla is featuring on the 7th. (Ruth Holden says that it was because composers such as Ravel and Debussy studied with harp players that they really came to understand its potential as an orchestral instrument.)
Since then the harp has spread its wings branching out from the depth of the orchestra into the the recording studio, onto film sets and into jazz bands. Camilla plays with the likes of Jay-Z and Kanye West as often as she does with Korros or a full orchestra. To hear some of her session playing check in to her site here – and watch, especially, the Ellie Goulding clip.
Meanwhile…. 7th March – the programme:
J. S. BACH – Andante from Violin Sonata No. 2
Claude DEBUSSY – Première Arabesque
Gabriel FAURÉ – Une Chatelaine en sa tour
Astor PIAZZOLLA – Invierno Porteno
Reinhold GLIÈRE – Impromptu for harp
Nino ROTA – Sarabande and Toccata
Marcel TOURNIER – Au Matin
To book for 7th March – go here.
The ticket price includes wine and a buffet supper.
Upcoming concerts:
Sunday 2nd April – Highgate Society Lunchtime concert
Jonah Phillips and his group – piano, bass & drums
More details very soon.
Sunday 7th May – evening – The Hanover Square Quartet
Music by Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn and Emilie Mayer.
More details very soon.
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