Jakez is used to my calling him and saying "you know you're coming
to Munich from Beijing via Paris at the start of September? Well, in
London on the Thursday...". Sadly, this time the travel gods were
against us - but we are very grateful to Alex Rider for being our
London correspondent, and sending me this review of Elizabeth's Scorah's recital of many new works for the blue harp.
The Big Blue: New Works for Harp and Electronics: Elizabeth Scorah, Harp
September 10, 2009- Royal Academy of Music, London
As
many harp students will know, there is a lot more to presenting a
performance exam than a mere succession of pieces, arranged
chronologically and delivered to a panel of passive, dehumanized
adjudicators. Far from it; now there is much emphasis on having a
concept, of making a presentation that will excite and entertain the
intellect as well the ears. The idea of a ‘programme’ means that the
pieces are given cohesion and context, things that breathe life not
only into the audience experience but into the playing as well. The
laterally thinking student might find also that the occasion is given a
greater sense of meaning beyond the fulfillment of an academic
requirement: the reward being a sense of a satisfaction equal to a
‘good mark’.
Currently
studying for a Masters degree in performance at London’s Royal Academy
of Music under Karen Vaughan, Elizabeth Scorah sought a way in which to
enliven her exam performance Debussy’s Danses sacrée et profane and Ravel’s Introduction et Allegro.
Ravel’s luscious septet and Debussy’s subtle concerto-type work are
beautiful but undeniably often-heard exam fare, and today’s harp
student can be hard put to set them in a rich new context. France’s
illustrious history of harp-design seems to have provided the answer:
it is well-known that the competing efforts of the houses of Erard and
Pleyel resulted in the creation of these works and this gave Elizabeth
an idea. Camac today continues this tradition of harp innovation, and
the Big Blue electro-acoustic harp
has become synonymous with the cutting-edge . So, when Elizabeth
approached Jakez Francois in hopes of using the Big Blue harp in her
exam, the result was an ambitious and intriguing recital concept: one
that juxtaposed traditional repertoire with several new and specially
commissioned works for the blue harp.