# Harp music recommendations



## FPwtc (Dec 3, 2014)

Can anyone recommend some good albums of classical harp music? Also any outstanding compositions for harp, either written specifically for the instrument or appropriated by the performer for it!


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## Stavrogin (Apr 20, 2014)

Mozart wrote a Concerto for Flute and Harp, and as most things Wolfie wrote it cannot be left aside.

Gliere's Harp Concerto comes to mind from later composers.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Alwyn's Lyra angelica is a must.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Hindemith's Sonata for Harp






Ibert's Trio for Violin, Cello & Harp


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## Fagotterdammerung (Jan 15, 2015)

Britten's _Harp Suite_ is both excellent and highly idiomatic for the instrument ( unfortunately, a number of good composers wrote a bit badly for the harp - the technique is _quite different_ from keyboard instruments ).

Debussy wrote well for the harp, though not alone. _Danse sacrée et Danse Profane_ for harp and strings is something of a showcase work, though perhaps his best work with harp is his _Trio_ for harp, viola, and flute, with initiated a whole genre ( a number of French and English composers, especially, wrote for that ensemble ). A more recent work by Takemitsu titled _And Then I Knew 'Twas Wind_ I found worthwhile; his restrained aesthetic lends itself to the ensemble.

Though the harp was slightly less popular in the mid 20th century as it has more difficulties playing incessantly chromatic music than other instruments, contemporary composers seem to writing for it a lot - I see it at almost every chamber premier I go to recently.

I recently rather enjoyed the following work, which showcases the instrument's more adventurous facets:


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

elgars ghost said:


> Hindemith's Sonata for Harp


I'm listening a lot to Hindemith but I didn't know this work, and I really like it.


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## tortkis (Jul 13, 2013)

This album contains nice chamber pieces for harp.

Bax: Quintet for Harp & Strings / Elegiac Trio / Fantasy-Sonata / Sonata for Flute & Harp (Naxos)








Quintet for harp & strings
Elegiac Trio for harp, viola & flute
Fantasy Sonata for harp & viola
Sonata for flute & harp


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

norman bates said:


> I'm listening a lot to Hindemith but I didn't know this work, and I really like it.


It seems there weren't many instruments he didn't write sonatas for! Although at least one of his orchestral compositions has a prominent part for harp this sonata is something of a stand-alone work in Hindemith's output. Anyway, I'm happy you like it.


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## Orfeo (Nov 14, 2013)

Granville Bantock's Celtic Symphony
Nosyrev's ballet "The Song of Triumphant Love."
Glazunov's ballet "Raymonda."
Alberto Ginastera's Harp Concerto (spicy, but well worth knowing).


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Boieldieu: Harp Concerto

Harp quintets by Jean Cras and Laszlo Lajtha;

Saint-Saens: Fantasia for Violin & Harp;

Spohr: Sonatas for Violin & Harp;









CD with works by Jørgen Jersild,
http://www.allmusic.com/album/jörgen-jersild-music-for-the-harp-mw0001374383

Henk Badings: Harp Concerto;

Edgy, expressive, modern:







Lars Graugaard - concertante works, "Ophelia in the Garden", and "Harp Concerto, The Hand Unveiled"


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## Blancrocher (Jul 6, 2013)

Hovhaness' "Island of the Mysterious Bells," for 4 harps, is very addictive for me!


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## senza sordino (Oct 20, 2013)

Rodrigo arranged his Concierto de Aranjuez for harp


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## 20centrfuge (Apr 13, 2007)

Ginastera's Harp Concerto is excellent.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

norman bates said:


> I'm listening a lot to Hindemith but I didn't know this work, and I really like it.


I like the Hindemith too! I have it on an MD&G recording.


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## trazom (Apr 13, 2009)

I'm a bit surprised it wasn't mentioned yet(or I missed it), but Handel wrote a very beautiful harp concerto:






Then there's the Persichetti serenade for harp and flute. Oh, and someone already mentioned Mozart's flute and harp concerto. That's one of my favorites, too.


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## cjvinthechair (Aug 6, 2012)

Can I mention 2 other South American harp concerti, by Villa-Lobos & Gnattali, also concerti by Hovhaness, Jongen, Rautavaara, Sowerby, Tishchenko & Tveitt.

Couple of links (others from my list may be there too, and of course there are many more on YT):
Hovhaness 



Rautavaara


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## Chris (Jun 1, 2010)

Art Rock said:


> Alwyn's Lyra angelica is a must.


Alwyn's best work in my opinion.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

​
Try this one, satisfaction guaranteed:tiphat:


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## bejart (Nov 16, 2012)

If you're looking for Classical era works, you might consider Jan Krumphlotz ---





















While his concertos are a bit pricey and OOP, this is readily available:









And finally, CPO recorded 4 harp concertos written by the Eichner brothers, which I like a lot:


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## Kivimees (Feb 16, 2013)

dholling said:


> Granville Bantock's Celtic Symphony


Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!

(One "Yes!" for each harp in the work.)


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## Orfeo (Nov 14, 2013)

Chris said:


> Alwyn's best work in my opinion.


I concur with that (although I must admit I love "The Magic Island").


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## QuietGuy (Mar 1, 2014)

This is good. Written in 2011, premiered in 2012:


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## Guest (Feb 5, 2015)

Seconding Mozart, Gliere, Alwyn, Hindemith, Britten, Debussy, Takemitsu, Ginastera, Bax, Handel, Rautavaara, Hovhaness...

But let's not forget compositions by Stockhausen, Nørgård, Holliger, and the like!


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## Blancrocher (Jul 6, 2013)

Composer-of-the-month Sofia Gubaidulina has a lovely trio with harp, called "Garden of Joy and Sorrow."


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## omega (Mar 13, 2014)




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## Guest (Feb 5, 2015)

Blancrocher said:


> Composer-of-the-month Sofia Gubaidulina has a lovely trio with harp, called "Garden of Joy and Sorrow."


Not to mention it comes on an amazing ECM disc (amazing and ECM = redundancy) with two other already mentioned works!


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## Guest (Feb 6, 2015)

Carl Reinecke has a very nice harp concerto. Ditto Reinhold Gliere. I quite like Gierr Tveit's Harp Concerto #2 as well (haven't heard #1). Also Nino Rota's is fine.

Otherwise I second all of the above suggestions and note that Rodrigo also has a fine Concierto serenata for harp and orchestra.

For chamber music with harp, this very fine album has lots of arrangements of various Schubert works for harp (solo and with voice, violin, and/or cello).









I think it was produced by Lara St. John, but mostly features Marie-Pierre Langlamet on harp. Also Anna Prohaska on a few wonderful tracks.


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

Here is a nice arrangement of Ravel's _Five Greek Songs_ for voice and harp.

*Ravel* - _Cinq Mélodies Populaires Grecques _


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## Triplets (Sep 4, 2014)

I learned a lot reading this thread. I will have to search Spotify to see if some of these discs are available.
There was a Classical era Composer named Dussek who composed for the Harp. I used to have a CD of his harp music but it seems to have wandered out of my collection.

The Harp gets a bad rap because I tend to associate it with people playing transcriptions of Debussy in Hotels during Sunday brunch. It would be nice to explore some of the suggestions here.


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## tortkis (Jul 13, 2013)

nathanb said:


> Seconding Mozart, Gliere, Alwyn, Hindemith, Britten, Debussy, Takemitsu, Ginastera, Bax, Handel, Rautavaara, Hovhaness...
> 
> But let's not forget compositions by Stockhausen, Nørgård, Holliger, and the like!


Recently, I was very impressed with Nørgård's _Fons Laetitiae_ for soprano and harp.
Now listening to _Works for Harp and Ensemble_ (Dacapo) by Tine Rehling. Very nice.


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## cjvinthechair (Aug 6, 2012)

tortkis said:


> Now listening to _Works for Harp and Ensemble_ (Dacapo) by Tine Rehling.


Found it in Naxos Music Library - lovely disc; thanks for the 'steer' !

Recommend a disc called 'Peiwoh' on the Alia Vox label - traditional European harp music; delightful !


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

FPwtc said:


> *Can anyone recommend some good albums of classical harp music?* Also any outstanding compositions for harp, either written specifically for the instrument or appropriated by the performer for it!


Yeah. Anything without a harp in it.

(I may have posted a similar snide remark like this one already, but I didn't bother checking through the previous pages. There's just something about harp music that has never appealed to me. I often say that if the harp is truly the instrument of Heaven, I'm well pleased to take my chances in the other place. 
I know I shouldn't even post comments like this one, but I suspect I'm in a cantankerous mood. I'm currently listening to that lengthy drum solo that graces the mid-portion of Iron Butterfly's classic rock hit "In a Gadda da Vida". No harp in that one. A pretty good organ and great guitar, though.)

Actually, there is a harp concerto by a fellow named François Adrien Boieldieu that is fairly interesting (as is much music by this rather obscure composer of the late classical period):






Again, don't know if this has already been recommended, 'cause I didn't check through the posting. I'm not a big fan of harp music. But you may have gathered that much info about me already.

Mozart's Concerto for Flute & Harp ... or is it Harp & Flute? -- is a great piece, even with the harp. But it's by Mozart. The fellow didn't know how to ruin a piece of music even with a harp in it. (And apparently Mozart didn't favor the sound of the flute. But he wrote for it angelically anyhow. Go figure.)

By the way, you might check this link: http://www.talkclassical.com/13286-your-top-10-harp.html

I do favor Marx Brothers movies, though. I think there's a harp in them every once in a while.


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## Guest (Feb 9, 2015)

tortkis said:


> Recently, I was very impressed with Nørgård's _Fons Laetitiae_ for soprano and harp.
> Now listening to _Works for Harp and Ensemble_ (Dacapo) by Tine Rehling. Very nice.


I love this disc. And nearly anything else of Norgard's


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## isorhythm (Jan 2, 2015)

^^ Really digging that Hindemith sonata right now. I'm sure I'd never have heard it if not for this thread.


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)




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## GodNickSatan (Feb 28, 2013)

When did the harp become a prominent instrument in symphonies?


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

William Lawes - The Harp Consorts - the blending of harp with the rest of the baroque instruments is absolutely gorgeous! :angel:


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## FPwtc (Dec 3, 2014)

Thanks everyone, these are all excellent suggestions!


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## Mahlerian (Nov 27, 2012)

GodNickSatan said:


> When did the harp become a prominent instrument in symphonies?


The earliest use of the harp in a symphony I can think of is with Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique. It remained non-standard for a while after that, though. Mahler used it in all of his.


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## quack (Oct 13, 2011)

This is a great album for modern works of harp and electronics, Sofia Asuncion Claro.









*Kaija Saariaho *- _Fall _- 




Also on that album, but this is a different performer:
*Ake Parmerud* - _Strings and Shadows _- 




I think Philip Glass works especially well on the harp, better than the original piano version. His repeating figures just seems to suit the instrument.
Lavinia Meijer performs _Metamorphosis _by *Philip Glass* 




As with *Ludovico Einaudi* who just sounds cheesy on piano usually.





A few other things worth hearing:
*Boris Tishchenko* - _Harp Concerto_




*Ernö Dohnányi* - _Harp Concerto_




*Heitor Villa-Lobos* - _Harp Concerto_




*Alfred Schnittke* - _Concerto for oboe, harp and strings_




 ("boring as I thought it would be" according to informed youtube commentary)
*Walter Piston* - _Fantasy for English Horn, Harp & Strings_




 - (Piston seemed to quite like harps)
*Alfredo Casella* - _Harp sonata_




*Ernst Krenek* - _Harp sonata_




*Mauricio Kagel* - _Zwei Akte (Grand Duo for Saxophone and Harp)_




*Nino Rota* - _Sarabande and Toccata_




_Harp Concerto_




*Isang Yun* - _Duo for harp and cello_




*Luciano Berio* - _Sequenza II for Solo Harp_




*Granville Bantock* - _Pibroch for Cello & Harp_





And from the semi-classical corner:
*Zeena Parkins* - _Phantom Orchard_


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