Sound flowers

Originally, the Sound flowers was written for piano by the German composer Barbara Heller; she later arranged it for violin and piano. It turned out that both versions are for the most part also very suitable for harp or harp and violin. Domenica Reetz and Marianne Boettcher have arranged them accordingly.

The individual pieces have very pictorial titles, some with the names of flowers, others with fantasy names such as Fluttering flower, paper flower, grasses in the wind, ice flower etc. and thus enable a direct, associative reference to the various soundscapes. Depending on its character, each piece is based on a musical idea (a scale, a restriction to certain intervals, a musical gesture or a rhythmic element), which is able to radiate a strong mood and captivate players and listeners alike.

While the Sound flowers While the booklet for solo harp consists of 17 pieces, the booklet for violin and harp has 14 (and not 13, as incorrectly noted on the cover!). Some of the same pieces have been expanded or divided between the two instruments, and some new pieces have been added. The Klangblumen can be played as a cycle or individually. Both the solo and duo pieces are also ideal for young people, who will come into contact with very atmospheric music of our time and perhaps even be encouraged to experiment further with the musical ideas.

Some pieces can be played on the Celtic harp or the Tyrolean harp. Apart from a few incorrect pedal markings, the edition is beautifully and clearly laid out. I can warmly recommend these two works.

Barbara Heller: Klangblumen, 17 pieces for solo harp, edited by Domenica Reetz, ED 21020, € 11.99, Schott, Mainz 2011

Barbara Heller: Klangblumen, 13 pieces for violin and harp, edited by Marianne Boettcher, ED 21021, € 16.99, Schott, Mainz 2011