Elisabeth Remy Johnson - Quest (2021) Hi-Res

For all its celestial beauty, the harp is not always accorded the same level of respect as the more commonly heard instruments – such as the violin, piano, and cello, which have the lion’s share of great concerti and solo repertoire.

That this doesn’t have to be the case is clear from the work of harpist Elisabeth Remy Johnson, who is not only a consummate performer but also an adept arranger/transcriber of repertoire for her instrument. The principal harp of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra since 1995, she has been featured and widely admired as soloist with the orchestra in works of Debussy, Handel, Mozart and Ginastera. Remy Johnson also is the principal harpist of the Grand Teton Music Festival, and has performed as guest principal with the orchestras of Boston, Houston, and Milwaukee.

She is not content, however, to sit back and play the standard repertoire. Remy Johnson has brought to light many excellent solo works for her instrument, and three years ago she founded the Merian Ensemble to further address the neglect of music by women. (This ensemble, a group of her ASO colleagues, commissions and performs chamber music of women composers.) She’s also a member of the Aster Trio, together with her fellow ASO members Christina Smith and Daniel Laufer.

Remy Johnson’s new solo recording, Quest, features repertoire that in many cases she has helped bring to life – not only through her performances, but also (in many cases) through her own transcriptions of some of the pieces. Twelve women composers are represented here, in performances that are frequently revelatory.

“This was going to be a half-hour disc,” the harpist said in a recent phone interview, “but I kept on finding things.” Transcribing the works she wanted to feature was sometimes a challenge – particularly a few of the five pieces by Mel Bonis: “Her ‘Desdemona’ was parts that are just too chromatic, but I came up with a solution. It needed to sound like a harp piece, and I think it does, but it wasn’t easy.”