Harpist Rachel Talitman and bassoonist Mavroudes Troullos present with the recording of a new album the world premiere of the Six Sonatas Progressives by Luigi Concone (ca.1846-?) for harp and bassoon.
The combination of harp and bassoon will not immediately ring a bell with music lovers; it is a fairly unusual instrumentation in classical music practice. For musicians, it is a challenge to find suitable repertoire, and they often have to arrange works. It is therefore remarkable that the Six Sonatas Progressives were originally composed in the early 19th century for harp and bassoon. A true hidden gem, which Talitman and Troullos bring to the attention of audiences!
The reason why this combination of instruments is not common is difficult to guess; after hearing the first notes, the beautiful harmony in timbre immediately stands out. The warm sound of the bassoon, regularly in a lyrical role, combined with the bright harp chords. It literally melts together.
Something that harpist Rachel Talitman has apparently been aware of for some time, as she has already recorded several albums with bassoonist Luc Lourby. Now it is the turn of bassoonist Mavroudes Troullos, once a student of Lourby at the Brussels conservatory, to bring out his debut album with this recording.
How they came across the compositions of Luigi Concone remains a secret, and little is known about the composer himself. In the accompanying CD booklet we can read that he was probably born in the early 19th century in Turin in a family full of important musicians and artists. Besides being a composer, he was also a harpist and gave lessons. He wrote many works for solo harp, among others a whole series of studies, probably intended for his students.
Thus the Six Sonatas Progressives, as the title suggests, are composed in increasing degrees of difficulty. Each sonata begins with a prelude for the harp. As the sonatas become more 'progressive', Concone increasingly plays with different elements. He no longer always adheres to the typical fast-slow-fast model, and the melodies become increasingly Romantic in development. Moreover, it is certainly a daring move to compose for harp and bassoon in the early 19th century. In doing so, he is clearly seeking innovation.
The first three sonatas are characterized by simple and pure melodies. They remain easy to remember. Talitman plays her harp with precision and creates a sparkling tone, with attention to beautiful light basses. Troullos engages in dialogue with his warm bassoon sounds, and with restrained playing creates a beautiful stylistically conscious atmosphere. As a listener, you immediately find yourself in stately circles of the early 19th century.
In the last three sonatas, the dialogues between the two instruments intensify; Troullos produces beautiful melodic lines on the bassoon, for example in the 'romanza' of the fifth sonata. He also makes exuberant differences in dynamics; it is astounding how pronounced he makes the pianissimos sound on his bassoon. Talitman gets to show off with various virtuosic passages, among other things in the 'maestoso' of the fifth sonata. Despite the challenges, the harpist maintains a beautiful clear tone.
The quality of the recording is truly sublime. Where it is truly a challenge to do justice to the harp in a recording, the label Harp&co lives up to its name and demonstrates that it is specialized in this field.
- WHO: Rachel Talitman [harp] and Mavroudes Dakis Troullos [bassoon]
- WHAT: Luigi Concone: Six Preludes Followed By Six Progressive Sonatas for Harp and Bassoon, Op.2
- RELEASE: Harp & Co CD505047
- ORDER: JPC
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