Harp Concertos

Beautiful Music!!

This CD is just beautiful. If you enjoy classical music and/or are looking for music to relax you after a busy day. This CD can help. I especially enjoy listening to this CD when you need to clean,cook it makes the task more enjoyable. (If you can call cleaning enjoyable)
It is great to listen to it when you are reading, having people over for dinner...anytime really.
I hope you like it as much as I have. Happy listening! June 27, 2007

Sublime playing and excellent recording

I bought this for the Handel and was immediately taken with the clarity of tone and an overall crystalline ambiance to the sound. There isn't a slip up anywhere on this recording. The performance is clean and the balance is extraordinary especially considering the soft sound of the harp opposed by an orchestra. This was no problem for the engineers and I don't know of any other recording of Harp concerti that is as successful as this one.

First on the disc is the Handel and this concerto is pretty famous. It also exists as an organ concerto and both versions are valid. The organ sound is quite different than the harp so the 2 versions can almost sound like different works. Handel's writing is engaging, supple and energetic. He has never written an awkward phrase that I'm aware of. His music always has strong direction forward and is brilliantly logical. This is no exception and the rhythmic energy in the music seems rooted in a lively dance-like bounce. I was literally doing a boogaloo in my chair while grinning widely as the music played. Ha! This is great stuff!

The 2nd work on the disc is a Boieldieu concerto and it has characteristics more typical of the Romantic period. Probably the high point of this piece is the slow central movement. This is very beautiful music that has plenty of drama to offset the gentle tinkling of Robles' Harp. His use of diminished chords and moderate dissonance gives a more modern impression than the Handel or the Dittersdorf. (which follows it on the disc) The Rondo Finale uses a line that is at first dissonant and then resolves partly into a slightly unsettling minor chord. This is alternated over and over with contrasting material and perhaps the theme is a bit tiresome after all the returns. This is what a Rondo does though so you will know this theme thoroughly by the time the concerto ends.

Next on the CD is a Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf concerto that is an excellent work. This sweetly melodic concerto shows why he was an extremely popular composer who was lauded during his lifetime. I think this is one of his best efforts. It is easy to get into and the music has logic and beauty and will carry the listener easily along with it. Robles is at home in all three, exhibiting complete control of her complex instrument. The last 3 tracks are single movement bon bons of lesser importance, but that doesn't mean they aren't pleasurable to hear.

The only shortcoming I found was the liner notes. They are short and the information is misleading at times. I would expect a major label like London to check facts presented in the notes. The Theme, Variations and Rondo Pastorale is said to be attributed to Mozart. Instead of elaberating on that, the writer discusses another work not even on this disc and then gives an incorrect Kochel number for it. It took me a few minutes on the internet and a little sleuthing at home to discover the work "attributed to Mozart" is really by Eberl and the Rondo section is based on the Finale of Mozart's String Trio in Eb, K 563.
Of course the liner notes are not why someone buys a CD. If you like harp music in particular and enjoy well written concerti, you absolutely can not go wrong here. This is first class music all the way. Performance, sound, balance and content are all superior. At mid price, its a steal. May 16, 2007

Terrible waste of my $18.00

This Cd was deceiving to me. I am so sorry that I bought it brand new!
I expected harp music and it was the classics so don't be fooled by the Harp on the cover because you hear very little Harp being played in the music. I would say 14% Harp all the rest fluffy classical music. April 1, 2007

Beautiful Beethoven

Simply fantastic. Any classical music lover would love this CD. Beautiful pieces, beautifully and expressively performed. Harp with orchestra. I play this several times a week.
I have always loved harp music, am a harpist, and this is essential listening. Beyond that, the overall presentation is very well thought out, so that the whole effect is more than the individual (very fine) pieces.
I am amassing a little library of CDs with harp music, and taken as a whole, this is my favorite so far. March 27, 2007

My all time favorite...

I have loved Handel's harp concerto Op.4, No.6. There has been many recordings but this rendition has been my favorite. Thanks to listening chance through Amazon, I could stop my long journey of search for this version. The rendition of Iona Brown and Marisa Robles is a little bit faster than that of others, which worked very well. Of course, other harp pieces in this CD are great and beautiful as well.

Whenever I listened to this CD, I feel warmth and peace of mind. It's unbelievable that you can get the precious thing with money of only $[money]. March 15, 2002

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