Strings attached
Sivan Magen celebrates 60th anniversary of Int’l Harp Contest
In this world of ours, PC-oriented practices notwithstanding, in general, women still come off second best. But there are a few fields out there with a clear female majority. Playing the harp is one of them although, as Sivan Magen points out, increasing numbers of male instrumentalists are emerging. Magen is one of the leading male exponents of the art of producing alluring and stirring musical sounds on the instrument that at once looks seductive, exotic and somehow always a little out of place.
He is also the only male, and only Israeli, winner to date of the International Harp Contest in Israel, which celebrates its 60th anniversary on December 12 (Israeli Opera House, 8 p.m.). The milestone will be marked by a gala concert featuring many of the past winners including American harpist Lynne Turner, who won the triennial event back in 1962. Other star performers lined up for the festive show include Chantal Mathieu from France, the winner in 1970; Gwyneth Wentink (1998); last year’s winner Lenka Petrovic, from Serbia; and Magen in 2006. The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra will also add its substantial weight and polished delivery to the proceedings
Growing up in a musical family – both his parents are cellists – now 39-year-old Magen’s professional path in life was predestined. As he said in a recent interview, “The only question was which instrument I would play.”
He started out on piano and, as rumor has it, decided to move onto harp while the family was on a sabbatical in France. “That’s not entirely accurate,” Magen notes. “I asked my parents if I could start on harp when I was seven [a few years before the sojourn in France], and ultimately it became possible for me start on harp while we were in France. I was 12 at the time.”
To some the transition may seem perfectly natural. When you look at the strings of the harp they are more than a little reminiscent of the piano-string setup. It just looks as if someone extracted the strings from a piano, set them up vertically and inserted them into a weird-looking frame. But, for Magen, there is a fundamental and appealing difference between the two instruments.
“Yes, there is a connection between the two. The piano, like the harp, is a harmonic instrument on which you can play several keys simultaneously. And you can play polyphonic music with separate tones. But the means of producing the sound is what makes the big difference. With the piano you have the key and the hammer, which come between the finger and the string. For us [harpists] there is nothing between the string and the finger, between the instrument and the way the sound is generated.”
That, for Magen, is central to the magic of the harp. “You have the ability to influence the ranges of sound through the direct, personal contact between the finger and the string,” he explains. He was also drawn to the fact that the harp lets it all hang out. What you see is what you use to make the music.
“With the harp everything is out in the open. With the piano, there is this whole mechanism which closes the piano off, and contains the sound. It is only when you press the pedal that the natural resonance of the instrument is possible. With the harp that is constantly available.”
That structural element, says Magen, was taken into consideration by anyone who has ever written a score for the harp, or adapted a piece originally written for a different instrument.
“That is basic to the harp, and also to the repertoire written for it, by composers who envisaged the tones that would be produced on the harp to what they were writing.”
That literally hands-on approach to music-making appealed to Magen and he says, creates a closer relationship between player and instrument.
“That direct contact offers a more intimate approach to the music than on the piano. The player feels the resonance in his or her body. You feel something similar on cello too, although you normally use the bow with the cello.”
WHILE SOME may deem the spread of works written for harp to be limited, Magen begs to differ. “The repertoire is growing but, in any case, the repertoire is not so narrow.”
That, he says, was facilitated by technological advances. “In the 19th century, in 1810, the modern harp was invented. That is the harp with a double-action pedal mechanism, which enables you to play all the scales, and move between all the scales while you are playing.”
The technology was out there but composers did not rush to make the most of the new possibilities. “It took a while for composers to get to know the modern harp. Most of the people that wrote for the harp in the 19th century were, themselves, harpists. Most of the well-known composers were not familiar with the instrument. So there is a pretty rich repertoire, but the works were written by people who are not known to the general public.”
Of course, if you don’t manage to find a composition originally written for your instrument, there is always the option of going for a composition that has been adapted. Magen’s slot at the forthcoming gala event has him performing Concerto de Aranjuez, originally written by 20th century Spanish composer Joaquin Rodrigo for the guitar. He confesses to a penchant for reworking charts himself.
“I like to write arrangements of work by composers who did not originally write for the harp but, to my mind, could have done so.” The Rodrigo work is a case in point.
“The Concerto de Aranjuez arrangement was not written by me. It is an arrangement that was written, with the composer’s permission during the composer’s lifetime. But I also play a lot of music from the 19th century, by Brahms and Chopin, and, of course, by Debussy, who actually wrote for the harp, as did Ravel.”
Things continue to develop nicely in Magen’s sector of the classical world field. “In the 20th century more and more composers wrote for the harp, and that continues to be the case now. Today, composers really like to write for the harp. There are a lot of possibilities [on the harp] to produce different sounds which are very compatible with contemporary music.”
Magen is keen to make the most of all the avenues of expression open to him. He has a preference for playing in smaller formats, and is a cofounder, along with pianist Assaf Weisman and clarinetist Tibi Cziger, of the Israeli Chamber Project. He was also instrumental in establishing the Tre Voci Chamber Ensemble. That limited number of fellow musicians, and the sounds they produce, offer Magen more room for maneuver.
“The chamber music repertoire is different, and very varied. For me, that is the most interesting format because it incorporates a dialogue between peer musicians who can create unique things on the stage, at every concert. I enjoy that a lot.”
Being the only Israeli winner, to date, of the competition sets Magen apart from his compatriot instrumental counterparts. He says he is proud of the achievement, but feels his participation helped to widen his musical horizons in general.
“Growing up in Jerusalem, there were very few harp students my age there. The competition, which takes place only every three years, offered me an opportunity to experience high-standard playing. There were players from different parts of the world, and it opened up my eyes to what one could do with the instrument.”
Magen has made great strides over the years in exploring the options available to him from the harp. He now spends most of his time in Finland, as principal harpist of the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. This week’s gala offers a rare opportunity to catch his wizardry here.
For tickets and more information: harpcontest-israel.org.il.