<\/p>\n
Masterworks for Harp <\/b>was recorded in 2001.\u00a0 The first two pieces on the CD (the Bach and the Rodrigo) are Josh’s own transcriptions.\u00a0 They are followed by American composer Michael Mauldin<\/a>‘s Birds in Winter<\/i> and Canadian composer Marjan Mozetich<\/a>‘s Songs of Nymphs.<\/i><\/p>\n Mozetich says,<\/p>\n “I must applaud you on doing a marvelous job on the recording, especially the Songs of Nymphs<\/i>.\u00a0 The Bach is quite a challenge but you make it work on the harp.\u00a0 The Rodrigo is utterly captivating.\u00a0 It sounds as if it was written for the harp (mind you the guitar is also a plucked instrument).\u00a0 The Mauldin Preludes<\/i> are very evocative, each having it’s own distinct character.\u00a0 They make the harp speak well.\u00a0 As for the Songs of Nymphs<\/i>, you perform them with an exuberance that befits their bravura nature, and yet there is no lack of sensitivity and nuance to Mauldin says,<\/p>\n “I’ve listened several times to [your] new CD, and I enjoy it very much.\u00a0 I think the Bach is actually my favorite thing on the album.\u00a0 It is so<\/i> wonderful, and beautifully played and felt.\u00a0 I also like the Songs of Nymphs <\/i>– lovely writing and playing!\u00a0 Thanks for including Birds in Winter<\/i> and for performing it so well.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Track listings:<\/strong><\/p>\n J.S. Bach (1685-1750)<\/b> Rodrigo (1901-1999)\u00a0<\/b> Michael Mauldin (1947-)<\/b> Marjan Mozetich (1948-)<\/b> Total playing time 61:17<\/p>\n Complete CD liner notes:<\/strong><\/p>\n “I love to play Bach.\u00a0 JS Bach never actually wrote anything for the harp (the harp was not a very advanced instrument in Bach’s time), so I rely on transcriptions.\u00a0 Now that I’ve played most of the transcriptions available for the harp, I’ve begun to do my own.<\/p>\n I chose the Partita No. 4<\/i> because I am a huge fan of the American pianist, William Kapell (who died tragically young; 31 years old, in 1953).\u00a0 One of the few Bach pieces he recorded was the Partita No. 4<\/i>.\u00a0 When I was looking for something to transcribe, I thought of it.\u00a0 I wasn’t sure when I started whether or not it would adapt well to the harp, but it did.\u00a0 I always liked it when I listened to it, and I’ve grown to like it even more as I’ve played it. About 4 or 5 year ago, I noticed in a catalog of harp music that someone had transcribed the slow movement for solo harp, i.e., the harp was playing both the solo guitar\u00a0 line and the orchestra part.\u00a0 Naturally, I had to get a copy of it!\u00a0 However, I was disappointed with the transcription; it didn’t seem to work particularly well.\u00a0 I put it away.\u00a0 Then, in the spring of 2000, I decided I was going to play the Rodrigo, no matter what!\u00a0 I still wasn’t satisfied with the version I had; using a copy of the original guitar part plus the piano reduction of the orchestra, I started doing my own transcription.<\/p>\n The piece that you hear contains almost note for note the guitar solo, along with most of the piano reduction.\u00a0 Occasionally I’ll play the guitar line up an octave, since on the harp the low notes ring much longer than on the guitar, and it can get awfully muddy. I first heard Songs of Nymphs<\/i> when Erika Goodman performed them at the World Harp Congress of 1996 in Tacoma, WA.\u00a0 Her program featured all Canadian music.\u00a0 This piece was one that made me say, “Hey, I want to play that!”\u00a0 A few years later, when I was asked to perform a work by a Canadian composer at a concert in Victoria, I thought of Song of Nymphs<\/i>.\u00a0 I liked it even better than I remembered.\u00a0 It fits very nicely under the hand.\u00a0 In some ways it reminds me of many of the late 19th century works written mostly by harpists; it has a similar “flowing” quality.<\/p>\n Each movement or “song” in Song of Nymphs is very effective, and, while they are clearly part of a whole, each is quite distinctive.\u00a0 The Prelude<\/i> introduces you to the overall style of the piece. Reflection<\/i> is quiet for the most part, but in the middle becomes more hectic; perhaps someone has thrown a stone into the reflection of a pool…\u00a0 Ritual<\/i> is a wonderfully quirky little piece.\u00a0 It’s very serious and solemn, but I feel an undercurrent of humour running through it (and it gets very wild in the middle).\u00a0 Freedom<\/i> is probably my favourite of the four.”<\/p>\n Good listening! Masterworks for Harp <\/b>was recorded in 2001.\u00a0 It features two of Josh’s transcriptions – Bach’s Partita No. 4<\/em> and the slow movement from Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez –<\/em> plus American composer Michael Mauldin’s Birds in Winter<\/i> and Canadian composer Marjan Mozetich’s Songs of Nymphs.<\/i><\/p>\n[playlist artists=\"false\" ids=\"99,100,101,102,103,104,105,137,88,90,91,92,93,94,95,96,97,98\"]\n","protected":false},"featured_media":87,"template":"","meta":[],"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[19],"product_tag":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-138","1":"product","2":"type-product","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"product_cat-audio-cd","7":"product_shipping_class-parcel","9":"first","10":"instock","11":"taxable","12":"shipping-taxable","13":"purchasable","14":"product-type-simple"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.joshlayne.com\/store\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/product\/138","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.joshlayne.com\/store\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/product"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.joshlayne.com\/store\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/product"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.joshlayne.com\/store\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/87"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.joshlayne.com\/store\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=138"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"product_brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.joshlayne.com\/store\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fproduct_brand&post=138"},{"taxonomy":"product_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.joshlayne.com\/store\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fproduct_cat&post=138"},{"taxonomy":"product_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.joshlayne.com\/store\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fproduct_tag&post=138"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nthe more reflective sections.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\nPartita No. 4 in D Major
\nOuverture 5:40
\nAllemande 6:07
\nCourante 2:03
\nAria\u00a0 2:11
\nSarabande 4:11
\nMenuet 2:09
\nGigue 2:21
\ntrans. Josh Layne<\/i><\/p>\n
\nConcierto de Aranjuez
\nAdagio 11:48
\ntrans. Josh Layne<\/i><\/p>\n
\nBirds in Winter –
\nSix preludes for harp (1989)
\nI\u00a0 1:16
\nII\u00a0 1:50
\nIII\u00a0 2:01
\nIV\u00a0 3:11
\nV\u00a0 1:30
\nVI\u00a0 1:19<\/p>\n
\nSongs of Nymphs (1987)
\nPrelude 2:14 (YouTube video)
\nReflection 3:32
\nRitual 3:11\u00a0 (YouTube video)
\nFreedom 4:43<\/p>\n
\nMy other transcription on this CD is the incredibly poignant slow movement of Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez<\/i>.\u00a0 I think almost everyone who hears this guitar concerto falls in love with it.\u00a0 The great harpist Nicanor Zabaleta must have, since he suggested to Rodrigo that Rodrigo transcribe the solo guitar part for harp.\u00a0 Of course, to play Rodrigo’s transcription, you need an orchestra handy!<\/p>\n
\nMichael Mauldin’s Birds in Winter<\/i> is a wonderful, modern composition.\u00a0 It’s fairly sparse writing; very evocative of winter, and very effective.\u00a0 The piece is made up of 6 preludes, each of which is quite different.\u00a0 All of them can be heard to be, indeed, “birds in winter”.\u00a0 My particular favourite of the preludes is the fourth, which is a quiet, rather mournful piece.\u00a0 I can just imagine a few birds huddled on a leaf-bare tree.<\/p>\n
\nJosh Layne<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"