Arabesque Romantic Harp Music of the 19th Century
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Camille Saint-Saëns, Alphonse (Jean) Hasselmans, Traditional, Anonymous, Elias Parish Alvars, Albert Zabel, Wilhelm Posse, François Joseph Dizi, Franz Schubert, Claude Debussy
Label: Helios
Magazine Review Date: 12/1984
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 57
Mastering:
Stereo
ADD
Catalogue Number: CDA66116
Tracks:
| Composition | Artist Credit |
|---|---|
| (2) Arabesques, Movement: No 1 |
Claude Debussy, Composer
Claude Debussy, Composer Susan Drake, Harp |
| Follets, 'Will-o'-the-wisp' |
Alphonse (Jean) Hasselmans, Composer
Alphonse (Jean) Hasselmans, Composer Susan Drake, Harp |
| All through the night, 'Ar hyd y nos' |
Traditional, Composer
Susan Drake, Harp Traditional, Composer |
| (3) Romances, Movement: No. 3 in F |
Elias Parish Alvars, Composer
Elias Parish Alvars, Composer Susan Drake, Harp |
| Ave Maria, 'Ellens Gesang III' |
Franz Schubert, Composer
Franz Schubert, Composer Susan Drake, Harp |
| (24) Préludes, Movement: La fille aux cheveux de lin |
Claude Debussy, Composer
Claude Debussy, Composer Susan Drake, Harp |
| (La) Mandoline (Grande Study in Imitation of the m |
Elias Parish Alvars, Composer
Elias Parish Alvars, Composer Susan Drake, Harp |
| (La) Source |
Albert Zabel, Composer
Albert Zabel, Composer Susan Drake, Harp |
| Variations on 'Carnival of Venice' |
Wilhelm Posse, Composer
Susan Drake, Harp Wilhelm Posse, Composer |
| Romance, 'Jeux interdits' |
Anonymous, Composer
Anonymous, Composer Susan Drake, Harp |
| (48) Études |
François Joseph Dizi, Composer
François Joseph Dizi, Composer Susan Drake, Harp |
| Marguérite douloureuse au rouet |
Albert Zabel, Composer
Albert Zabel, Composer Susan Drake, Harp |
| (Le) Carnaval des animaux, 'Carnival of the Animals', Movement: The swan |
Camille Saint-Saëns, Composer
Camille Saint-Saëns, Composer Susan Drake, Harp |
Composer or Director: Camille Saint-Saëns, Alphonse (Jean) Hasselmans, Traditional, Anonymous, Elias Parish Alvars, Albert Zabel, Wilhelm Posse, François Joseph Dizi, Franz Schubert, Claude Debussy
Label: Helios
Magazine Review Date: 12/1984
Media Format: Vinyl
Media Runtime: 0
Mastering:
Stereo
ADD
Catalogue Number: A66116
Tracks:
| Composition | Artist Credit |
|---|---|
| (2) Arabesques, Movement: No 1 |
Claude Debussy, Composer
Claude Debussy, Composer Susan Drake, Harp |
| Follets, 'Will-o'-the-wisp' |
Alphonse (Jean) Hasselmans, Composer
Alphonse (Jean) Hasselmans, Composer Susan Drake, Harp |
| All through the night, 'Ar hyd y nos' |
Traditional, Composer
Susan Drake, Harp Traditional, Composer |
| (3) Romances, Movement: No. 3 in F |
Elias Parish Alvars, Composer
Elias Parish Alvars, Composer Susan Drake, Harp |
| Ave Maria, 'Ellens Gesang III' |
Franz Schubert, Composer
Franz Schubert, Composer Susan Drake, Harp |
| (24) Préludes, Movement: La fille aux cheveux de lin |
Claude Debussy, Composer
Claude Debussy, Composer Susan Drake, Harp |
| (La) Mandoline (Grande Study in Imitation of the m |
Elias Parish Alvars, Composer
Elias Parish Alvars, Composer Susan Drake, Harp |
| (La) Source |
Albert Zabel, Composer
Albert Zabel, Composer Susan Drake, Harp |
| Variations on 'Carnival of Venice' |
Wilhelm Posse, Composer
Susan Drake, Harp Wilhelm Posse, Composer |
| Romance, 'Jeux interdits' |
Anonymous, Composer
Anonymous, Composer Susan Drake, Harp |
| (48) Études |
François Joseph Dizi, Composer
François Joseph Dizi, Composer Susan Drake, Harp |
| Marguérite douloureuse au rouet |
Albert Zabel, Composer
Albert Zabel, Composer Susan Drake, Harp |
| (Le) Carnaval des animaux, 'Carnival of the Animals', Movement: The swan |
Camille Saint-Saëns, Composer
Camille Saint-Saëns, Composer Susan Drake, Harp |
Composer or Director: Camille Saint-Saëns, Alphonse (Jean) Hasselmans, Traditional, Anonymous, Elias Parish Alvars, Albert Zabel, Wilhelm Posse, François Joseph Dizi, Franz Schubert, Claude Debussy
Label: Helios
Magazine Review Date: 12/1984
Media Format: Cassette
Media Runtime: 0
Mastering:
Stereo
ADD
Catalogue Number: KA66116
Tracks:
| Composition | Artist Credit |
|---|---|
| (2) Arabesques, Movement: No 1 |
Claude Debussy, Composer
Claude Debussy, Composer Susan Drake, Harp |
| Follets, 'Will-o'-the-wisp' |
Alphonse (Jean) Hasselmans, Composer
Alphonse (Jean) Hasselmans, Composer Susan Drake, Harp |
| All through the night, 'Ar hyd y nos' |
Traditional, Composer
Susan Drake, Harp Traditional, Composer |
| (3) Romances, Movement: No. 3 in F |
Elias Parish Alvars, Composer
Elias Parish Alvars, Composer Susan Drake, Harp |
| Ave Maria, 'Ellens Gesang III' |
Franz Schubert, Composer
Franz Schubert, Composer Susan Drake, Harp |
| (24) Préludes, Movement: La fille aux cheveux de lin |
Claude Debussy, Composer
Claude Debussy, Composer Susan Drake, Harp |
| (La) Mandoline (Grande Study in Imitation of the m |
Elias Parish Alvars, Composer
Elias Parish Alvars, Composer Susan Drake, Harp |
| (La) Source |
Albert Zabel, Composer
Albert Zabel, Composer Susan Drake, Harp |
| Variations on 'Carnival of Venice' |
Wilhelm Posse, Composer
Susan Drake, Harp Wilhelm Posse, Composer |
| Romance, 'Jeux interdits' |
Anonymous, Composer
Anonymous, Composer Susan Drake, Harp |
| (48) Études |
François Joseph Dizi, Composer
François Joseph Dizi, Composer Susan Drake, Harp |
| Marguérite douloureuse au rouet |
Albert Zabel, Composer
Albert Zabel, Composer Susan Drake, Harp |
| (Le) Carnaval des animaux, 'Carnival of the Animals', Movement: The swan |
Camille Saint-Saëns, Composer
Camille Saint-Saëns, Composer Susan Drake, Harp |
Author: John Duarte
All the music is played on the harp, and with the possible exception of Anon, was written in the nineteenth century, but more than one-quarter of it is harp music only by arrangement or adoption.
There is no shortage of original material from the period but the objective here is plainly to include a few pops (Debussy, Schubert, Saint-Saens, Anon) to attract the listener who may not know one harp composer from another, or, to judge by the sleeve-note, how a harp works. Susan Drake of course knows very well how it works and she is also a very sensitive musician, avoiding any suggestion of the tasteless excesses to which some of the music is vulnerable—and to which others might succumb. She produces a wide dynamic range, such that recourse to the volume control on behalf of the quietest passages (mere murmurs) will sooner or later be repaid by a disconcerting assault on the eardrums. All the music sounds comfortable on the harp but it is the original music that works best, written by those who fully understand how to exploit this idiosyncratic instrument; Hasselmans and Parish-Alvars in particular produce some magical effects—horses for courses, as it were. It is a very clean, somewhat low-level recording that will give much pleasure to harpists, day-dreamers and the good, old fashioned romantics in our midst.'
There is no shortage of original material from the period but the objective here is plainly to include a few pops (Debussy, Schubert, Saint-Saens, Anon) to attract the listener who may not know one harp composer from another, or, to judge by the sleeve-note, how a harp works. Susan Drake of course knows very well how it works and she is also a very sensitive musician, avoiding any suggestion of the tasteless excesses to which some of the music is vulnerable—and to which others might succumb. She produces a wide dynamic range, such that recourse to the volume control on behalf of the quietest passages (mere murmurs) will sooner or later be repaid by a disconcerting assault on the eardrums. All the music sounds comfortable on the harp but it is the original music that works best, written by those who fully understand how to exploit this idiosyncratic instrument; Hasselmans and Parish-Alvars in particular produce some magical effects—horses for courses, as it were. It is a very clean, somewhat low-level recording that will give much pleasure to harpists, day-dreamers and the good, old fashioned romantics in our midst.'
Arabesque Romantic Harp Music of the 19th Century
Arabesque Romantic Harp Music of the 19th Century
Arabesque Romantic Harp Music of the 19th Century
Discover the world's largest classical music catalogue with Presto Music.
Gramophone Digital Club
- Digital Edition
- Digital Archive
- Reviews Database
- Full website access
From £8.75 / month
Subscribe
Gramophone Full Club
- Print Edition
- Digital Edition
- Digital Archive
- Reviews Database
- Full website access
From £11.00 / month
Subscribe
If you are a library, university or other organisation that would be interested in an institutional subscription to Gramophone please click here for further information.