About this Piece

The Harp Concerto was jointly commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Opéra National de Bordeaux, the Philharmonie de Paris, and the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, with the understanding that Emmanuel Ceysson, a harpist with the LA Phil, would perform the piece.

In the summer of 2023, I had my first session with Emmanuel while I was in Los Angeles for my first concert with the LA Phil at the Hollywood Bowl (the 17,500-seat venue was sold out). Although I wanted to start composing immediately, a busy schedule delayed the process until February of the following year. In May, Emmanuel visited Japan, and we reviewed the nearly completed first movement, making adjustments as needed. By July, I had completed the harp part, and the orchestration was finalized in mid-September. The result was a 30-minute composition in three movements.

The first movement is an Allegro in B minor, mainly composed of arpeggios. The second movement, completed last, is a slow movement in D minor with a relaxed 6/8+7/8 rhythm. After a cadenza, the piece reaches its climax in the third movement, a toccata in F minor Allegro. The harp is usually associated with graceful, gentle, and calm music, but this concerto is intense, wild, and dynamic—quite different from traditional concepts. This reflects both my own vision and the influence of Emmanuel’s playing style.

The nine-month composition period (which, if you include the time spent conceptualizing, extended to over a year and a half) felt like a long stretch for me. While many concerts during that time took up a lot of my focus, they also allowed me to further refine the piece. I am deeply grateful to everyone involved, and I look forward to seeing the piece evolve through future performances. ―Joe Hisaishi