Following Paul Lewis’s colourfully orchestrated ‘Heritage and Landscape’ disc (EMRCD039) EM Records has now released ‘Harpscape’, an album of solo music written for his favourite instrument, the harp, performed by Gabriella Dall’Olio.

For those who image that harp solos are all regency drawing room elegance and Victorian virtuoso pyrotechnics, this collection may surprise. In contrast to Lewis the English composer of place, here is the cosmopolitan Lewis. Of the four suites recorded, two were inspired by time spent living and working in New Zealand, the third by his love of Paris and the French chanson, and the fourth by a growing fascination with American jazz forms. Add to this the belief in the power of melody to speak directly to audiences of all musical tastes that sustained his 47-year career composing TV and film music and the result is a varied programme of pieces brimming over with memorable and catchy melodies. To quote Lewis in the extensive booklet notes, “My aim in composing harp solo’s is to allow the instrument to sound beautiful and as idiomatic as possible, with equal emphasis on mellifluousness of melody, richness of harmony and last, but not least, sheer entertainment value.”

Soloist Gabriella Dall’Olio has said of Lewis’s harp writing “Beautifully lyrical and sometimes nostalgic pieces, stepping back in time to showcase the harp at its stylish best”; and of Saturday Night Jazz Suite (tracks 18 to 20 on this new recording), she has commented: “Fun, enjoyable and entertaining: the perfect music to brighten your mood, and the mood of your audience”.