Nick Scholten — Crossing A Line — Works For Harp (2021)

FLAC (tracks), Lossless | 1:06:31 | 193 MbClassical, Instrumental

Dutch harpist Nick Scholten\’s debut album of solo harp music, \’Crossing a Line\’, traverses and crosses the invisible, often arbitrary line that divides musical genres.Scholten embraces the interaction between classical and jazz music, and music\’s transition into modernity, with works from two continents dating mostly from the 1920s, interspersed with his own previously unrecorded compositions. All these pieces were written specifically for the harp and represent some of the deepest explorations of the instrument\’s technical capabilities.We hear from three French masters of the harp: Marcel Tournier, Marcel Grandjany and Carlos Salzedo, all of them composer-harpists. Although the harp is an ancient instrument that has been found in most continents and ancient civilisations of the world, France was at the heart of its development as a concert instrument. All three composers were prodigious prize-winners who went on to become prestigious teachers. Grandjany was regarded as a potential successor to Debussy in the development of French modernism; his \’Rhapsodie pour la harpe\’, Op. 10 is based on Easter plainchant and demonstrates a plethora of techniques, while his \’Pastorale\’ is characterised by lively metrical shifts.
01. An Awakening, for amplified Harp
02. Rhapsodie pour la Harpe, Op. 10
03. Deux petites pièces brèves et faciles pour harpe: No. 1, Offrande
04. Sonatine for Harp, Op. 30: I. Allegrement
05. Sonatine for Harp, Op. 30: II. Calme et expressif
06. Sonatine for Harp, Op. 30: III. Fiévreusement
07. Pastorale
08. Preludes for Bners: No. 15, Chanson dans la Nuit
09. Don\’t Worry, for amplified Harp
10. Preludes for Bners: No. 14, La Désirade
11. Jazz-Band, Op. 33
12. Deux petites pièces brèves et faciles pour harpe: No. 2, Soupir
13. Scintillation
14. Summation