Mosolov concerto harpist: Piece 'shows off the brilliancy of the instrument'

 

Taylor Ann Fleshman (photo courtesy of the artist) 

I've been listening often to the important new Alexander Mosolov recording that includes two previously unavailable pieces, Mosolov's Symphony No. 5 and the composer's harp concerto. 

The recording demonstrates there's more to Mosolov than his best-known works from the 1920s and 1930s. And listening to the harp concerto made me wonder: What was recording it like for the harpist? What did she think of the work?

The soloist on the concerto is Taylor Ann Fleshman, a young North Carolina native now based in New York as principal harpist for The Orchestra Now. I wondered how a Southern lady wound up recording a Russian concerto in Moscow, and she obliged me by taking my questions: 

Russian Futurism: How did you get involved in the project to record the "lost" Mosolov harp concerto?

Taylor Ann Fleshman: In 2018, I attended the PRISMA Festival in British Columbia, Canada and competed in their concerto competition. If one wins, they can either choose $1,500 or they can play one concert with the Moscow Symphony Orchestra. I ended up winning the concerto competition and chose to play with the MSO, but the prize is to play as a regular orchestra musician, not as a soloist. Months later, I believe it was September, I received a phone call from Arthur [MSO conductor Arthur Arnold] with exciting and unexpected news. They originally planned to do the concert with a trumpet soloist, but it was cancelled, so they decided to go down another route, which was an all Mosolov concert. This included the harp concerto, and I immediately said yes!

Russian Futurism: Do you think the Mosolov concerto deserves to enter the performance repertoire? Are you hoping to get invitations to perform it with various orchestras?

Taylor Ann Fleshman: I believe the Mosolov harp concerto deserves to enter the repertoire. It’s definitely one of the larger and longer harp concertos, totaling about 35 minutes. The work offers a wide range of colors and shows off the brilliancy of the instrument.

I do hope to get invitations to perform this work again! I did get the chance to perform it twice the summer of 2019 in Powell River, Canada. Every time I perform it, I uncover something new or find different ways to phrase melodic lines.  

Russian Futurism: Why did you pick the harp as your instrument? What are your favorite pieces for harp? 

Taylor Ann Fleshman: My parents saw a harpist on TV back in 2003 and thought to themselves “Wow, you don’t see many people who play the harp.” I was seven at this time and had been taking piano lessons for two years already, so they thought that it was maybe time to get me involved in a second instrument. One night, my dad asked me if I wanted to play it, and I responded with “David played the harp in the Bible so why not?” At that age, that was my only connection with the harp. 

Henriette Renié (public domain photo)

I really love the repertoire by Henriette Renié, a French harpist, composer, and teacher who was a pioneer in the harp world. One of my favorite pieces by her is “Ballade Fantastique,” which is based on Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart.” The harp is clichédly associated with the angelic, but in this piece, it is linked with horror. One can hear in the music the actions that are occurring in the short story, such as the narrator’s stalking and hiding of the old man’s body.

Russian Futurism: Piano players usually have to use whatever piano is available locally, while violinists travel with their instruments. What's it like for harpists? How often do you get to use your own instrument when you are on the road?

Taylor Ann Fleshman: Most of time, when in the U.S. I will use my own instrument, especially if I am playing with an orchestra or a gig. There have been times though, like when I’ve performed in Europe, Asia, or even the West Coast, where I’ve rented a harp. It is a lot more convenient and safer to rent an instrument than to fly with it. 

Russian Futurism: Please tell me a little bit about The Orchestra Now and your role in it.

Taylor Ann Fleshman: The Orchestra now is a pre-professional orchestra program that trains the upcoming generation of musicians from across the globe.  We perform concerts across the Hudson Valley as well as in Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Met Museum of Art. Not only do we perform concerts, but we also write concert notes, have discussions with patrons during intermissions, and do outreach programs in the community, and we also do coachings with leading musicians in our field along with mock auditions to practice taking orchestral jobs. While we're doing all of this, we're also getting degrees at the Bard college in either a Master of Music or an Advanced Certificate. I am the only harpist (principal harp) with The Orchestra Now and earning my Advanced Certificate at the Bard College.