Stage 2 repertoire

Each harpist in stage two has to play:

Suite in C minor BWV 997 - JS Bach

-Prelude

-Sarabande

-Gigue

Sonata for Harp - Hindemith

Pièce Symphonique en trois épisodes - H Renié

one free-choice contemporary piece "composed after 1975, of a duration not less than 5 nor more than 7 minutes, and preferably by a composer from the contestant’s own country (may be a movement from a larger work.)"

Listening to people's free-choice contemporary pieces has been very interesting. Many are quite tonal and pleasant to listen to, some are very atonal with surprising and colorful effects. I have been trying to figure out how the jury will judge this part of the program, since it is mostly different for each contestant, and in the process, have developed my own criteria:

1) Does it fit well with the program, or does it seem like the contestant chose it to get brownie points for playing a piece from his/her country?

2) Is the piece interesting enough for me to listen to it carefully all of the way through (you would not believe the amount of boring awful contemporary music out there)?

3) Does the contestant seem to have understood the point of the piece, or is he/she just playing it because one was required?

4) Does it seem technically difficult enough to be on the level of such a renowned international competition?

5) Is the performance appropriately theatrical, in the sense that the harpist's body language adds to the experience rather than being nonexistent, or over-exhuberant?

Results will be announced tonight. There are two special prizes to be had for the best performances of the free choice contemporary piece and the Renié. But in the meantime, just for curiosity's sake, here is a list of the contemporary pieces everyone chose:

Rachel: P Patterson - From Spiders (The Dancing White Lady, Tarantula)

Elisa: J-F Zbinden - Kakamura

Noel: P van Onna - The Secret Garden

Remy: H Holliger - Präludium

Gwenllian: P Patterson - (The Red Backed Spider, The Black Widow, Tarantula)

Paola: Donatoni - Marches
Ruri: Hosokawa - Two Japanese Folk Songs

Elizabeth: W Alexander - Limberlost: The Life of the Birdwoman

Emilie: H Holliger - Präludium

Ina: I Yun - In Balance

Meredith: D Erb - Sonata for Harp, mvt 1

Anna: J Charpentier - La Danse devant l'Arche

Valérie: C Lizotte - La Madonne

Emily: J Charpentier - La Danse devant l'Arche

Marina: S Natra - Prayer