Oliver Wass (harp): The Musicians’ Company #MiddayMusic
Oliver Wass joined the Musicians' Company Young Artists' Programme after winning our Maisie Lewis Young Artists' Fund award in 2017. Here he performs Tarrega's Recuerdos de la Alhambra and Ravel's À la manière de Chabrier and À la manière de Borodine.
Oliver says:
"I've chosen these three pieces as they're all non-standard repertoire, and the lockdown has allowed me a chance to focus on some pieces I'm really fascinated by. Tarrega's Recuerdos de la Alhambra (originally for guitar) requires a completely new technique to produce the right hand tremolo on the harp. I use an alternating 2-4-1 fingering which allows enough space in the hand to get the fingers moving at the speed required for the tremolo. The challenge is to maintain a stable hand position, as the fingers can't place on the strings before playing in the normal way, they have to pluck the note 'out of the air'.
The two pastiches À la manière de Chabrier and À la manière de Borodine are perfect examples of Ravel's mastery of style and character. I love the charm of À la manière de Chabrier, and the gentle wistfulness of À la manière de Borodine."
Oliver Wass holds a First Class Masters Degree from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, where he studied with Imogen Barford. He graduated from the University of York with a First Class Honours degree in Chemistry. He has won competitions throughout Europe, and has performed every major harp concerto, including Lyra Angelica with the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Mozart Flute and Harp Concerto with The Mozartists at the Wigmore Hall, and he has directed the Handel Harp Concerto in the Barbican Hall.
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Musicians' Company Profile - http://www.wcom.org.uk/yeoman/oliver-wass
About the Maisie Lewis Young Artists' Fund - http://www.wcom.org.uk/awards/maisie-lewis-young-artists-fund-and-concordia-foundation-artists-fund
Oliver's Website - http://www.oliverwass.co.uk
Oliver's Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/OliverWassHarp
Oliver's Instagram - http://www.instagram.com/oliverwassharp
Oliver's Twitter - http://twitter.com/OliverWassHarp
Oliver's YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK0f-k9NOthVZLRM-OnBc5g
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