BY WENDY ZHANG
Australian Harp Quartet
Mosman Art Gallery, 19 May
Before attending the Australian Harp Quartet concert, I had little idea of what a harp quartet would sound like. In my mind, the harp’s sound was soft and tender, usually adding embellishments to an orchestral performance – a bit like the role of a percussion instrument. The concert proved to be quite different to what I expected, with the quartet playing both contemporary and classical pieces across a whole range of dynamics and emotions that left a strong impression on me, and challenged my assumptions of the role of this instrument.
It was a sunny and particularly warm day in the middle of winter. As I arrived at the grand hall of Mosman Art Gallery, I felt like I was instead walking into a wedding ceremony: a grandiose church hall featuring stained glass windows with striking colours, a high vaulted ceiling matched with timber floors, and at the front of the room stood four golden harps facing each other. They brightened the room and intensified the celebratory atmosphere. It was a full house – about 80-100 people in attendance – mainly Mosman locals, but also friends and families of the performers. I felt it could just as easily have been filled if it was a bigger venue, but that wouldn’t be as intimate and quaint as the gallery chosen.
As the concert was about to start, the quartet members walked onto the stage – Natalie Wong and Emily Granger in bright red tops, and Julie Kim and Georgia Lowe in white, looking radiant and Instagram-ready with the four golden harps. The first piece was Edvard Grieg’s Wedding Day at Troldhaugen composed for solo piano, and the harp version (arranged by M. L. Williams) was so dream-like that it would definitely be a top choice for a wedding ceremony. Natalie led the performance and, in her playing, the melody on the higher register was particularly pleasing to the ears. The slow movement was serene and peaceful, before it went back to the opening theme. There were enchanting ascending scales continuously played by all members, followed by a powerful ending on a single note by all four. A pleasant opening that set the scene for the performance.
The next two were well-known pieces originally composed for piano, and I was quite excited to hear the same pieces I played a long time ago, now played on four harps! Natalie’s arrangement of Bach’s Fugue in G minor was suited for the quartet – the fugue theme first introduced by Emily, then restated by Georgia, Julie, and Natalie. The harp quartet performance added a sense of calmness and other-worldliness to the piece, and still maintained Bach’s style and the Baroque period structure and rigidity through the tight collaboration and solid technical skills of the four.
The next piece, Chopin’s Waltz in C sharp minor, was a pleasant surprise – Julie played the fast running passages with ease and confidence, with almost the same speed as the original piano version. The arrangement was refreshing – usually with two members playing the right-hand melody of the original piano, and the other two playing the left hand accompaniment; I heard some unique accompaniment arrangement, which added some interesting left-hand harmonies to Chopin’s piece.
The quartet then presented the Australian premiere of British harpist/composer Harriet Adie’s Sun, Moon and Stars – a contemporary piece with rhythmic and harmonic complexity. The opening was mysterious and sensual with Eastern music influence. The glissandos were noticeably loud and awakening. In the middle section, Georgia played a repeating theme very softly, which was delightful until a uniting and powerful crescendo among the group The distinction between soft and loud, and slow and fast was particularly evident – which, in this particular piece, represented night (moon) and day (sun); dark and light; and perhaps also happy and sad. All of these challenged my original assumptions of the role of harp as an instrument, both in a solo and ensemble setting.
The final piece was Obelisk by American harpist John Wickey. It was a long and intense performance in three movements, which showcased each of the member’s superb technical and collaboration skills. According to Harp Column, the composer used ancient modes and instrument effects “to depict the music and mythology of ancient Egypt”. It was an atmospheric and intense opening, which sounded like preparing for a battle. The Phrygian dominant and Lydian modes were widely used in the first movement, resembling Egyptian music, as well as fast and aggressive glissandi. There was frequent repetition of the plucking of the stringed note E, which sounded unsettling. Julie applied special effect as she used a tuning hammer to pluck the strings and made trills almost like the sound of a Chinese erhu – high-pitched and brassy, which intensified the mysterious atmosphere of the piece.
It was a particularly impressive performance for a technically and musically challenging piece, which the audience loved, judging by the clapping and cheering. The group came back to play an encore piece – Qui Vive by Wilhelm Ganz, providing a happy and cheerful ending to an otherwise surreal concert.
Images supplied.
