Harp Concerto

Exploring the folk rhythms of Argentina and the fiery and mysterious sounds of the harp, Alberto Ginastera’s Harp Concerto put the instrument at the forefront of solo virtuosity. The concerto was commissioned in 1956 by Edna Phillips, principal harpist of the Philadelphia Orchestra from 1930-46, and the first female member of that ensemble. She wanted to premiere the Concerto at the 1958 International American Music Festival in Washington, DC. But as the date neared, word arrived that the piece was not ready, seemingly owing to political events (Ginastera was a vocal critic of the Perón regime), a crowded composition schedule and the intrinsic difficulties of harp writing. Ginastera finished the Concerto in late 1964, after Phillips had retired from the concert stage. Spanish harpist Nicanor Zabaleta instead gave the premiere with Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra. Scored for a modest-sized orchestra but with a large percussion section, the concerto is in three movements. The first movement, “Allegro giusto”, begins with a clamorous, heavily accented theme before arriving at a soft and mystical episode. The passage is brief, however, and the central development section evokes a malambo, a 6/8 dance associated with gauchos (South American cowboys). The slow movement (“Molto moderato”) suggests one of Bartók’s brooding night music episodes as the harp’s delicate, chordal sounds are explored. A cadenza filled with special effects opens the “Liberamente capriccioso vivace” finale, which calls up another malambo. Percussion heaps on the pressure, but this is the harp’s moment and the soloist drives the piece to its bracing conclusion.