Bart Feller and Stacey Shames talk duo concerto

Next weekend, NJSO audiences will have the pleasure of seeing two familiar faces taking center stage for Mozart’s Flute and Harp Concerto. NJSO Principal Flute Bart Feller and frequent NJSO guest harpist Stacey Shames—two artists who have collaborated often on other performance projects—will perform Mozart’s Flute and Harp Concerto on the NJSO’s “Mozart & Mendelssohn” program on Friday, February 27, at NJPAC in Newark and Saturday, February 28, at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank. (The pair will reprise their solo roles when the Orchestra repeats the program at NJPAC on Sunday, June 14.)

The duo look forward to performing this unique double concerto—the first orchestral concerto ever written for flute and harp—for NJSO audiences.

“This piece was really the first of its kind,” says Feller. “Never before had anyone composed a concerto for flute and harp, which have a magical sound together. The two instruments’ colors seem to feed off each other. It is every bit as special as his two solo concertos and the four flute quartets: one of the glories of Mozart’s writing for flute.”

Shames agrees: “The harp repertoire is lacking in depth and works from the classical period are almost nonexistent. It’s extraordinary that we have this charming and stately gem. Although Mozart may have conceived the harp part as a kind of plucked piano, he clearly knew the chordal and melodic configurations that would manifest well on the instrument. The concerto demands speed, lightness and elegance, but they are a welcome challenge.”

Feller says that in pairing flute and harp, Mozart hit on a magical combination. “Many composers have been inspired since his concerto to write for flute and harp,” he says, praising Mozart’s writing for his instrument. “His writing for flute in this concerto and in his other works is glorious.”

The flautist loves the concerto’s singing qualities. “I feel ‘vocal’ when I play it,” he says. “I love the technical passages because they are so energetic, brilliant and sparkling.” Shames agrees, specifying the outer movements’ sparkling charm, percolating arpeggiated patterns and joyous melodies.

The harpist has a soft spot for the central Andantino. “The second movement, with its simple beauty of line and meditative character, is dearest to me,” Shames says. “Mozart warms and enriches the accompaniment by dividing the strings, cushioning the sound and providing a momentarily romantic, even lush backdrop for the entry of the solo instruments. When harp and flute state the theme, the first four bars are lyrical and chaste. The second phrase, however, finds the flute in high, suspended, blooming melody, while the harp accompanies with low and florid arpeggios. These four bars are deliciously rich. The harp is in full and stunning resonance here, and I daresay Mozart knew that.”

Learn more about the concerto and the other works on the NJSO program.

Program-note excerpts © Laurie Shulman.