Harp Concerto (2013)

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Harp%Concerto%(2013)%by%Vivian%Fung%

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Fo C rp pe ont er rfo ac us rm t c al o an om nl ce po y rig ser ht fo s r

2!Percussion! ! Marimba! ! Vibraphone! ! Glockenspiel! ! Crotales!â&#x20AC;&#x201C;!A!and!E!! ! ! ! Bass!Drum! ! Tenor!Drum! ! 3!Tom@toms! ! 2!Congas! ! 3!Suspended!Cymbals! ! ! ! Tambourine! ! Low!Temple!Block! ! Harp!Solo!!(Third!Movement!requires!sheets!of!paper!to!prepare!harp)! ! Strings!! ! ! Program%Note:%%Harp%Concerto%(2013)%by%Vivian%Fung% Duration:!!ca.!22!minutes!

Introduction!and!Three!Movements,!played!without!pause!

Co#Commissioned*by*Alabama*Symphony,*Staatstheater*Karlsruhe,*Metropolis*Ensemble,*The*Phillips*Collection,*and*San*Jose* Chamber*Orchestra*for*harpist*Bridget*Kibbey!! * This!concerto!draws!on!myriad!influences!to!highlight!the!different!colors!and!virtuosic!possibilities!for!harp,!including! highly!rhythmic!sections!involving!intricate!finger!work,!as!well!prepared!sections!in!the!third!movement!spotlighting!the! bass!register!of!the!instrument.!! A!brief!introduction!starts!the!work,!three!long!phrases!cascading!from!the!top!of!the!harp!and!orchestraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s!range!to!the! bottom,!introducing!the!main!sonorities!of!the!work.!!A!brief!harp!solo!signals!the!start!of!the!first!movement,!which! begins!with!a!quotation!from!a!Thai!chakhe!(plucked!zither)!melody.!!The!movement!features!polytonal!passages!and! ornate!figurations!and!slides!to!give!an!earthier!and!more!dissonant!take!to!the!melodic!line.!!The!middle!section!of!the! first!movement,!in!constant!mixed!meters,!includes!a!tight!interplay!between!harp!and!orchestra!that!grows!in!intensity! and!climaxes!with!a!return!of!the!chakhe!theme.!! The!second!movement!highlights!the!harpâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s!lyrical!and!ruminative!side,!with!a!long!spun@out!melody!accompanied!by! muted!strings.!!The!melodic!line!grows!into!an!orchestral!interlude,!in!which!the!harpist!presents!brash!dissonant!attacks! that!interrupt!the!lyrical!flow!of!the!strings.!!A!harp!cadenza!ensues,!juxtaposing!the!contemplative!sections!with!more! aggressive!outbreaks.!! A!percussion!interlude!allows!for!a!transition!to!the!third!movement,!in!which!the!harpist!inserts!paper!in!between!the! lowest!strings,!muting!them!to!create!a!â&#x20AC;&#x153;thumpâ&#x20AC;?!that!is!reminiscent!of!a!bass!guitar.!!!The!opening!passage!transforms!the! harp!into!a!percussive!instrument,!with!knocks!and!scrapes!interwoven!into!a!jazzy!bass!harp!line.!!The!third!movement! alternately!pays!homage!to!and!pokes!fun!at!traditional!harp!music,!with!a!waltz!and!a!â&#x20AC;&#x153;dysfunctional!tangoâ&#x20AC;?!interwoven! into!the!coolness!of!the!low!bass!harp.!!The!third!movement!also!brings!back!fragments!of!previous!movements,!and! throughout!the!dance!sections,!outbursts!of!those!fragments!turn!the!movement!into!a!schizophrenic!collision!of!the! different!personalities!of!the!work.!!A!long!buildup!brings!the!concerto!to!a!fiery!and!intense!close.!

Fo C rp pe ont er rfo ac us rm t c al o an om nl ce po y rig ser ht fo s r

Instrumentation

Fo C rp pe ont er rfo ac us rm t c al o an om nl ce po y rig ser ht fo s r

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