Harpist Abigail Kent Graduation Recital

The graduation recital of harpist Abigail Kent. Abigail Kent is currently pursuing her Masters of Music degree at the Mannes School of Music, in New York City studying under Emmanuel Ceysson, Principal Harpist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.

Debussy: Danses sacrée et profane (Sacred and Profane Dances)
Brandon Garbot, violin; Grace Clifford, violin; En-Chi Cheng, viola; Joshua Halpern, cello; Abigail Kent, harp
French composer Claude Debussy was one of most influential composers of the late nineteenth century. Danses sacrée et profane (Sacred and Profane Dances) was written in 1904 to showcase Pleyel harp, a much bigger harp with no pedals but many strings.

Ferenc Farkas: Allegro Impetuoso
Abigail Kent, harp
Hungarian composer Ferenc Farkas composed Allegro Impetuoso in 1991 and is describe as a “attractive and virtuoso concert piece”

Bach: Fugue, from Violin Sonata No. 1
transcr. Marcel Grandjany
Abigail Kent, harp
American composer Marcel Grandjany transcription of Bach’s Fugue, from Violin Sonata No. 1 was basically an exercise for harpist to be able to play Bach.

Farkas: Early Hungarian Dances from the 17th Century
Abigail Kent, harp
Danse du Prince de Transylvanie, Chorea and Danse de Lázár Apor are three dances of six short Hungarian Dances by composer Ference Farkas.

Fauré: Impromptu in D-flat major, Op. 86
Abigail Kent, harp
Gabriel Fauré was a French Romantic composer that lived between 1845 and 1924. Abigail describes Impromptu in D-flat major, Op. 86 as a “very rich harp piece that is a great addition to the Harp repertoire.”

Hindemith: Sonata for Harp
Abigail Kent, harp
Paul Hindemith had an innate grasp for almost every instrument and wrote sonatas for them as well, for example he wrote sonatas for tuba, bassoon, oboe and harp. The Sonata for Harp was written in 1939 for Harpist Clelia Gatti-Aldrovandi. The third movement of the sonata is based on the German poem “Lied” by Ludwig Christoph Heinrich Hölty. The three movements are marked: Mäßig schnell; Lebhaft; and Lied: Sehr langsam.

Ravel: Introduction et allegro
Lydia Roth, flute; Slavko Popovic, clarinet; Brandon Garbot, violin; Grace Clifford, violin; En-Chi Cheng, viola; Joshua Halpern, cello; Abigail Kent, harp
Maurice Ravel was commissioned by the Érard company to write Introduction et allegro to showcase its double-action pedal harp in response to the Pleyel company’s commissioning Debussy to write Danse sacrée et danse profane to showcase their new chromatic harp. Although this piece is considered to be a septet, in the middle of it is a harp concerto.