Toshio Hosokawa - Geoffrey Gordon

Overtones

Eline Groslot

Label: Antarctica
Format: CD
Barcode: 0608917735024

Catalog number: AR 050
Releasedate: 05-05-23

A disc for harp not mainly addressed to harpists, but to all contemporaty music lovers
A disc for harp with compositions not by harpist-composers, but from composers in the canon
A spectacular Concerto for Harp and Orchestra (Brussels Philharmonic) composed in 2022 by the American composer Geoffrey Gordon is the core of the recording
The Concerto is preceded and followed by solo harp music by two living composers (Toshio Hosokawa and James MacMillan) and by the famous In a Landscape by John Cage
Two world premiere recordings.

Eline Groslot: In June 2021, I embarked on a fascinating journey with my GPS for the harp repertoire. I chose this well-known acronym because it best describes how I navigate the peculiar structure of the harp repertoire. I’ve made a list of compositions that I consider important for understanding the harp repertoire. These are pieces of exquisite quality, well-written, and having withstood the test of time. One 21st-century piece that has particularly touched me because of its compelling composition is Two Japanese Folk Songs by Toshio Hosokawa. This music expresses the serenity of nature, but also the power it has over us; it’s 21st-century music rooted in Japanese tradition.

Even when I try to dampen every sound that no longer fits the harmony, many overtones continue to resonate. Hence, damping can be somewhat deceptive in a way because the resonance of the instrument in the room persists. This resonance is the essential aspect of In a Landscape, a piece written for piano or harp by John Cage. The silence in-between notes is crucial to fully grasp the composition: for him, the spaces between notes contain not silence but time.

Looking at Gordon’s repertoire, you'll notice immediately that he has a fascination for non-mainstream instruments. During our correspondence, he revealed to me that he dreamed of composing a harp concerto based on a poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, called Eolian. From the very start, Eolian's character is evident: glissandi, bisbigliandi, and many ‘classical’ harp techniques, all with a contemporary twist, full of emotion, speed, and expression. You can feel the wind, thunder, primal power, and love.

James MacMillan, too, understands the power and narrative strength of glissandi. Knockroon Waltz plays with flageolets and glissandi, contrasting the left and right hands rhythmically during the waltz in such a way that it seems to shift, much like a sculpture which shifts and suddenly consists of two parts.

Two Japanese Folk Songs: I. Falling Cherry Blossoms