The harp is very much part of modern musical programming, and also a vital inspiration to contemporary composers. It has a voice appealing to much music, but there’s no doubt the image of the instrument, the stories and early music, take many of us back in time beyond our childhood to lands of myth and romance.
To listen to Irish harpist Máire Ní Chathasaigh tell us more of the lands that cherish it still by preserving the instrument, its music, and how it is played, is truly special. Arts Scene’s Ann Nicholson talks to Ní Chathasaigh to raise awareness and curiosity of the Irish harp.
In the second half of the program, Ann talks with ASO Conductor Philip Mann about one of his favorite pieces of the Masterworks repertoire: Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet.