Notes and Editorial Reviews
This enterprising and unusual disc is noteworthy for the inclusion of the two lovely works by Joseph Jongen and Manuel Moreno-Buendia. Both are formally interesting: the Jongen has two movements, the second beginning with a recitative and cadenza for the soloist, while the latter work has a five-movement "suite" form similar to the sort of thing that Joachim Rodrigo made his specialty. Jongen's style rests squarely in the French impressionist tradition of Debussy and Ravel, while Moreno-Buendia's recognizably Iberian melos recalls Ernesto Halffter and Turina.
Gretchen van Hoesen, principal harp with the Pittsburgh Symphony, plays the Jongen and Moreno-Buendia works extremely well, as she does the far less
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interesting Glière Concerto. Her tone is rich and limpid, free from "twanging" and extraneous performance noises. The New Symphony Orchestra of Sofia, Bulgaria lives up to the modest demands made on it, sounding just fine, and the sonics balance the soloist naturally against her accompaniments.
--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com Read less
Works on This Recording
1.
Concerto for Harp, Op. 74 by Reinhold Gliere
Performer:
Gretchen Van Hoesen (Harp)
Conductor:
Rossen Milanov
Orchestra/Ensemble:
New Symphony Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1938; USSR
Date of Recording: 06/2000
Venue: Sofia Hall, Sofia, Bulgaria
Length: 26 Minutes 5 Secs.
2.
Concerto for Harp, Op. 129 no 1 by Joseph Jongen
Performer:
Gretchen Van Hoesen (Harp)
Conductor:
Rossen Milanov
Orchestra/Ensemble:
New Symphony Orchestra
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1944; Belgium
Date of Recording: 06/2000
Venue: Sofia Hall, Sofia, Bulgaria
Length: 20 Minutes 28 Secs.
3.
Suite concertante for Harp and Orchestra by Manuel Moreno-Buendia
Performer:
Gretchen Van Hoesen (Harp)
Conductor:
Rossen Milanov
Orchestra/Ensemble:
New Symphony Orchestra
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1958; Spain
Date of Recording: 06/2000
Venue: Sofia Hall, Sofia, Bulgaria
Length: 26 Minutes 3 Secs.
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