Glowing review by the Waltham Forest Music Society
The Society’s Chairman Ian Brown wrote:
“On 19th January, the WFMS was delighted to welcome back the acclaimed harpist Helena Ricci for a programme as part of her tour which is taking her to various parts of the country showcasing a debut CD, Anima, scheduled for release this year. Helena opened the 66th season of recitals in October 2022 and, such was the overwhelming success of that event, it was a foregone conclusion that she would be invited to return.
With Storm Isha battering most of the UK, we were fortunate that London had escaped almost unscathed, thereby allowing a large audience to attend for another unforgettable evening. A burst water main in Walthamstow delayed Helena’s arrival at All Saints as no cabs were available so she was compelled to transport her harp to Highams Park by London Overground! No doubt the sight of a large, unidentified, concealed object being wheeled on board at Walthamstow Central gave fellow passengers cause for conjecture and prompted a few quizzical looks!
Since her last appearance in All Saints, Helena had acquired an illuminated harp which emitted a radiant sheen throughout the performance, blue lights dancing as strings were plucked. With this and a blue upward-angled floor spotlight being the only source of illumination, apart from some fairy lights in front of one of the windows, an ethereal atmosphere was created in the church and served to enhance the listening experience. As an experiment, it had been decided to place the audience ‘in-the-round’ with Helena literally taking centre stage. This proved a very popular seating arrangement and created an intimate quality to the evening. Helena’s only challenge when introducing the pieces was, in her words, ‘where to turn so that I can see everyone!’
With only two exceptions (Daquin’s delightful 'The Cuckoo' and the gripping tour de force which ended the first half - Renié’s 'Legend') all pieces, many of which were her own transcriptions, form the playlist of Helena’s CD, Anima. And what a varied playlist it is, spanning four centuries of music from the Oboe Concerto by Alessandro Marcello (arranged by JS Bach) in the 17th to 'Ala' by the contemporary Dutch composer Joep Beving in the 21st via Schumann, Liszt, Hasselmans, Satie, Kats-Chernin, Richter, Glass and Chertok. For me, the highlight of the evening was the aforementioned 'Légende' by Henriette Renié (sadly not included in the Anima CD playlist). This was, in effect, a tone poem for the harp based on 'Les Elfes' by the poet Charles Marie René Leconte de Lisle, depicting the tale of a knight riding a horse across the plains in search of his love only to be overwhelmed by malicious elves. The range of the harp’s capabilities were demonstrated to the full in this piece and Helena’s feet almost danced across the pedals as her fingers often blurred, so demanding of the player is Renié’s composition.
Helena is a great communicator, not only through music but also the spoken word. She instantly established a rapport with her audience and obviously enjoyed talking informally and with humour about the pieces. This was an interactive experience, assisted by the close proximity of the audience, and at various places in the programme, Helena invited us to immerse ourselves in personal thoughts about places, loved ones, etc. while listening to the next piece. On such a chilly night, the invitation to imagine the sun-drenched Alhambra Palace in Spain as she played Tárrega’s 'Memories of the Alhambra' prompted a response of ironic amusement. We learnt about the harp’s mechanism, how pedals alter pitch, how dynamics are controlled and how Helena’s mother had hoped that her daughter’s obsession with the harp at the age of five would fizzle out! One member of the audience said to me after the concert that every piece had been magical and that Helena’s interaction with the audience had been enchanting. It was as if she and the harp had been one and the same.
All Saints has experienced some unfortunate heating issues in recent weeks but the warmth of Helena’s playing and her effortless engagement with the audience, both in performance and when mingling to answer questions during the interval, kept us in the palm of her hand throughout the evening, so much so that we almost forgot the chilly temperature. On more than one occasion, Helena took advantage of a pair of gloves which a member of the audience had kindly loaned her and attempted to warm up before the next piece!
I think it’s fair to say that the success of this evening surpassed that of her previous visit, indeed I can't remember the last occasion on which an audience had been so engaged with the artist. We sincerely hope that Helena will perform for the Society again before long and the WFMS wishes her every success in her blossoming career. Many of us are looking forward to the CD release date when we’ll have the opportunity to hear again those pieces expertly played by this talented harpist.”
