Montsalvatge’s Harp concerto (OBC’s recording)

Concerto Capriccio for harp and orchestra is the result of an assignment by the Spanish National Orchestra and harpist Nicanor Zabaleta, to whom the piece is dedicated. It was first officially performed on 18 April 1975 in the Royal Theatre of Madrid, with these same figures, and conducted by Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos. It is one of the composer’s preferred works, perhaps, as the musician admits “because of the sheer amount of work that it took me to resolve the problems involved in composing for the harp and coupling it with the orchestra. The work was so interesting… and exhausting! The piece has a distinctly rhythmic nature with impressionist features that allow a soloist instrument to appear delicate and yet dynamic, thanks to the inner rhythm that invites dance. The last movement is based on the Guarani song “The bell bird”, which is popularly performed on the Creole harp and has been spread around the world by the Paraguayan musician Félix Pérez Cardozo, known as "America’s First Great Harpist”.
David Puertas