Amuse - Music for Single and Double Action harp from the Age of Enlightenment and Romanticisim

Amuse: Music for Single and Double Action Harp from the Age of Enlightenment and Romanticism


Masumi Nagasawa - harp

Johann Sebastian Bach (Composer), Nicholas Charles Bochsa (Composer), Sophia Corri (Composer), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Composer), Francois-Joseph Naderman (Composer), Giovanni Battista Pescetti (Composer), Jean-Philippe Rameau (Composer), Louis Spohr (Composer)




Track Listings
1. Naderman: Fantaisie en Variations sur le Songe de J.J. Rousseau
2. Spohr: Fantasie op.35 c Moll
3. Mozart : Arias from Die Zauberflutete arr by Bochsa and Schuëcker -- Könnte jeder brave Mann solche Glöckchen finden
4. Mozart : Arias from Die Zauberflute arr by Bochsa and Schuëcker -- Bei Männern, welche Liebe fühlen
5. Mozart : Arias from Die Zauberflute arr by Bochsa and Schuëcker -- Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen
6. Mozart : Arias from Die Zauberflute arr by Bochsa and Schuëcker -- Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja
7. Boscha: Variations sur de Themes de Don Giovanni, de Mozart, Batti, batti o bei Masetto
8. Mozart: Arias from Le Nozze di Figaro arr by Bochsa and Schuëcker -- Che soave zeffiretto
9. Mozart: Arias from Le Nozze di Figaro arr by Bochsa and Schuëcker -- Non piu andrai
10. Mozart: Arias from Le Nozze di Figaro arr by Bochsa and Schuëcker -- Voi che sapete
11. Corri: Sonate III op.2 c Moll -- Allegro moderato
12. Corri: Sonate III op.2 c Moll -- Andantino
13. Corri: Sonate III op.2 c Moll -- Rondo Allegro
14. Rameau: Le Rappel des Oiseaux
15. Pescetti: Sonate VI c Moll -- Allegro ma non presto
16. Pescetti: Sonate VI c Moll -- Moderato
17. Pescetti: Sonate VI c Moll -- Presto
18. Bach: Italienisches Konzert F Dur BWV 971 in Clavier-Ãœbung II -- Allegro
19. Bach: Italienisches Konzert F Dur BWV 971 in Clavier-Ãœbung II -- Andante
20. Bach: Italienisches Konzert F Dur BWV 971 in Clavier-Ãœbung II -- Presto


This CD is a rare treat. Baroque works, mostly fairly obscure, performed with excellence by a master on the single action harp. Far from being fodder for the musical inteligencia, I feel that once any listener gets used to the more crisp, light (almost mettalic) sound of the older harp instrument(s), the pieces are a delight. (Ms. Nagasawa plays 3 different early instruments on this CD - one a recreation by BeatWolf, the excellent early harp maker.)

This is a CD that can be enjoied both as background music for a dinner (indeed a soiree du gout), and equally by someone who wants to really listen and appreciate the precision and artistry of a truly magnificent musician.

A particular favorite of mine is Rameau's "Call (gathering) of the Birds" which is a tour de force piece of timing with every possible sort of trill and mordant. The opening piece has a catchy opening riff that sticks in the memory and comes to mind at various times, "calling" me back to listen to the CD again. The ubiqitous Dussek Sonata is on this CD (and it is the only piece I could have done without, simply because it is so frequently recorded). It is a staple of harp repertoire, and it is interesting to hear it on the type of instrument it would have been first played on, and the interpretation is unquestionably sound and musical. If you're a Jane Austen film/tv fan, one of the Mozart pieces will be a familiar delight; and the closing two sonatas (by Pescetti and Bach - one fairly rare, one more familiar, but fresh on this instrument) are enough of a calling card for any harpist.

This is one of a series of harp CDs by this marvelous artist, Masumi Nagasawa. It is a bit more expensive than other harp CDs; it truly is more of a rarity, but the most I can say is that it is TRULY worth the few extra bucks, and the level and quality is such that I now definitley want to get the related "dinner" CDs by this artist. DELICIOUS.

ANOTHER GENEROUS CONTRIBUTION FROM DAFFY!!!! THANKS A LOT!!!