Photo Credit: Jennifer Brindley
It isn’t often one hears chamber music that features harp, but that was a theme of the Frankly Music concert last week at Wisconsin Lutheran College. Harpist Kelly Molinari joined violinist Frank Almond in two works that well illustrated the possibilities of that unusual combination of instruments.
Ralph Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending is normally heard with violin and orchestra, but this arrangement for violin and harp made it a much more intimate experience. Almond was in his zone, casting a spell by soaring up in a high range and spinning out sweet melody. Camille Saint-Saëns’ Fantaisie for Violin and Harp, Op. 124, is a compact suite of several movements, played with style and grace.
Molinari’s playing was constantly interesting and captivating; watching a harpist work the many strings of the instrument is fascinating. She gave a master class in glissandos in Carlos Salzedo’s Chanson dans la nuit. The second half of the program was Robert Schumann’s Piano Trio No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 63. Almond was joined by pianist Marta Aznavoorian and cellist Alexander Hersh, creating sensitively phrased ensemble.
