Musica Da Camera concert
Conducted by Rosemary Macphail
Harp Soloist: Rowan Phemister
Holy Covenant
Anglican Church, Cook, 16 November
Reviewed by Len Power
There’s something special about a harp in a music
concert. It’s a beautiful looking
instrument with the curves of its wooden frame and shining strings. Even when it’s just one of many instruments
being played, its unique sound always soars magically above an orchestra. Hearing it as the solo instrument in a harp
concerto is an opportunity not to be missed.
The Musica Da Camera concert, very well-conducted by
Rosemary Macphail, featured two works for the harp with soloist, Rowan
Phemister, as well as a Concerto Grosso composed by Piero Castrucci, a work by
Jean Sibelius and two other works by Claude Debussy. The set of known and lesser-known works resulted
in a concert of great variety.
Rowan Phemister is a Canberra-based harpist and harp
teacher. He studied the harp with
international harpist, Alice Giles, and graduated with a Bachelor of Music from
the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
The concert commenced with Handel’s well-known Harp Concerto
No. 6 in B flat major. Written as part
of the oratorio, “Alexander’s Feast”, it’s a compact work in three distinctive
movements. It was very well-played by Rowan
Phemister and the orchestra, especially the Larghetto second movement with its
wistful melodies.
The harp concerto was followed by the Concerto Grosso Op 3
No 4 by Piero Castrucci who was one of the virtuoso violinists of his time and
the leader of Handel’s opera orchestra for over 22 years. It’s a work of great beauty with passages for
solo violin and cello as well as two solo violins. Orchestra members, John Dobson on violin, Helen
Larmour on cello and Gillian Graham, also on violin, gave fine performances of
these parts of the work and were well-supported by the rest of the orchestra.
The concert also included the delicately lovely “Girl With
The Flaxen Hair” and the ragtime fun of “Golliwog’s Cakewalk” by Claude
Debussy. They were followed by the three
movements of “Suite Champêtre” by Finnish composer, Jean Sibelius. The three movements were eerily atmospheric
and given a fine performance by the orchestra.
Rowan Phemister returned to the stage with the harp for the
final work in the concert, “Danse Sacrée and Danse Profane” by Claude
Debussy. A very different work compared
to the busy Handel piece played earlier in the concert, this slower, colourful
and evocative work was skilfully played by Phemister with great feeling,
bringing this fine concert to a satisfying close.
Photo by Peter Hislop
This review was first
published in the Canberra City News digital edition of 17 November 2019.
Len Power’s reviews
are also broadcast on the Artsound FM 92.7 ‘In the Foyer’ program on Mondays
and Wednesdays at 3.30pm.