Brief Report “on the night”

Lucy began by playing (on her double action pedal harp) a French romantic piece by Marcel Tournier. This was followed by a much earlier (1807) piece which would have been originally played on a much simpler (1 note per string) earlier design. Following this with a 1939 piece demonstrated the difference that could be accomplished by a pedal harp. The first half finished with 2 pieces which demonstrated the beautiful but tragic mood that can be produced.

The second half began with Lucy explain the different design of her lever (Gaelic) harp which can produce 2 notes per string (compared to the 3 notes achievable on her pedal harp). The next 2 pieces were then played on this simpler instrument with a definite Scottish feel to the second one. Then (back on her pedal harp) came the only piece transcribed for the harp, as opposed to originally composed for it. “Clair de Lune” certainly suited this transcription. Next came 2 movements from a Suite that had a very jazzy feel. Finally she played 2 tangos that certainly got our feet tapping.

As an encore Lucy treated us to “Wiegala” by Ilse Weber. This piece was composed whilst she was in a Nazi concentration camp, but it belied its origin by being calm and beautiful. All in all another splendid concert.

Pedal Harp	Lever Harp

Press Report

The first concert of 2025 featured the harpist Lucy Nolan, a fantastic player and an excellent communicator, who explained clearly the background and technicalities of each piece.

For most of the concert she played a double-action pedal harp. She began with “Au Matin” by Marcel Tournier, probably the most influential harpist-composer. Louis Spohr wrote his “Fantasia for Harp” in 1807, just before the invention of the double-action harp. Paul Hindemith’s “Sonata for Harp” proved to be quite absorbing, ranging from majestic to playful to reflective. “For the Tomb of Orpheus” (Marius Flothuis) proved to be every bit as haunting as the title suggests. “Obsidioles” by Bernard Andrès evoked a sense of moving around the nether regions of a church, sometimes quickly and often meditatively.

After the interval Lucy demonstrated the differences in technique and sound between the pedal and lever harps, the Scottish version of the latter being the clarsach. She played two pieces on the clarsach, “Sands of Hosta” by Ailie Robertson and Catriona McKay’s “Kronos Reel”. She reverted to the pedal harp for a pleasing arrangement of “Clair de Lune”. Two movements from Pearl Chertok’s “Around the Clock Suite” had a distinctly jazzy feel. “Footsteps in an Empty Room” (Uno Alexander Vesje) was quite mesmerising, with a range of techniques, and elements of tango. The concert finished with a real tango by Jean Michel Damase. The encore, played on the clarsach, was “Wiegala” by Ilse Weber – a lullaby to send us home content!

For more information about Lucy Nolan visit her own website (in a new window), by clicking HERE