Harp and Haydn

February 25, 2022 — 7:30 PM

Madison, Wisconsin

Masterworks II | Director's Notes

We welcome harp virtuoso Bridget Kibbey to perform Alberto Ginastera’s Harp Concerto of 1965, written for the great harpist of the twentieth century, Nicanor Zabaleta. Written in an idiomic style for the harp including many special effects, it is a spectacular work to enjoy live.

Prokofiev’s Sinfonietta is an early work from 1909 and was dedicated to his conducting teacher, Nikolai Tcherepnin of the St. Petersburg Conservatory. Following further revisions, this version from 1930 shows a lighter, more humorous side to Prokofiev’s nature.

Haydn’s Symphony No. 88 from 1787 follows his six Paris Symphonies and is one of his more popular symphonies with an exciting moto perpetuo finale. Combining two twentieth century works and finishing with Haydn is classic WCO fare, inspiring our musicians to come alive with spectacular vitality.

“…she made it seem as though her instrument had been waiting all its life to explode with the gorgeous colors and energetic figures she was getting from it.”

– New York Times

Called the “Yo-Yo Ma of the harp,” by Vogue Senior Editor Corey Seymour, Bridget Kibbey is in demand for her innovative, virtuosic performances that expand the expressive range of the harp. As a soloist and collaborator with today’s top artists, she crosses genres to emphasize and elevate the harp’s role through centuries and cultures of music.

Bridget Kibbey currently tours several projects of her own conception — ranging from French Masterworks of the Belle Époque, to the riches of Baroque Counterpoint, to popular folk music from South America to Sephardic and Persian traditions. Kibbey has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician in festivals across the globe.

NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

During the 2021/22 season, Carnegie Hall will present Kibbey as bandleader/soloist in her Bach to Brazil project via CityWide, their free concert series that celebrates the sounds from around the globe that make New York City so vibrant. Bach to Brazil includes newly-commissioned works that highlight the Nuevo Latino luminaries living in NYC alongside the folk masters that inspired them in a mash-up of maracatú, frevo, chorinho, bossa nova, joropo, tango, and cumbia from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, and Venezuela. Kibbey performs with Latin Grammy-winning percussionist Samuel Torres, and clarinetist Louis Arques.

During this season and next, Bridget Kibbey will delve into her passion for Brazilian popular music with a new harp concerto by Brazilian composer João Luiz Rezende, performing with A Far Cry in Boston’s Jordan Hall. The concerto for harp, strings, and percussion explores the evolution of the dance forms maracatú and frevo from Pernambuco, Brazil. It has been commissioned by four American Orchestras and premiered with the Orlando Philharmonic and Music Director Eric Jacobsen in fall 2019.