Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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59 of 61 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Delicious, a classic recording!, May 12, 2000
By A Customer
Even if you're not a big fan of harp music, this wonderful disc is still a must-have. Containing music both well-known (the Handel concerto) and little known (the Dittersdorf) it also contains the masterpiece of the French late-classic composer Boieldieu -- his wonderful harp concerto. It is a memorable work, and bears a very individual stamp. The brisk and lyric opening movement has harmonic intimations of the Romantic period to come, as well as a limpid Classical clarity. The minor key slow movement is lovely and haunting, and the finale even one-ups the slow movement. A rondo in ostensible major-key, its main theme has an oscillation into the minor mode that almost sends shivers up your back, so visceral is its impact, though subtle nonetheless: it is a truly wondrous movement, haunting, achingly beautiful. The magnificent playing of the great Marisa Robles does full justice to the wonderful pieces on the album, and the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields is splendid. As bonuses, solo harp works by Mozart and Beethoven round out a fabulous menu of delectable works. If beauty in music is not your cup of tea, then by all means buy some John Cage (or acid rock or whathaveyou); but otherwise, you'll be delighted with this exquisite disc!
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31 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
My all time favorite..., March 14, 2002
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].
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sublime playing and excellent recording, May 16, 2007
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.
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