Gilad Cohen: Saucerful of Memories (harp concerto, ft. Sivan Magen)

Saucerful of Memories (2023)
For harp solo, string orchestra and French Horn obbligato
Music: Gilad Cohen
Sivan Magen, harp
Benjamin Hochman, conductor
Roosevelt Island Orchestra
Katie Jordan, French horn obbligato
Recorded live at Roosevelt Island Concerts, April 6 2024
Audio and video: Ian Striedter and Zachary Travis
The piece was commissioned by the Adele and John Gray Endowment Fund for Sivan Magen, with additional support from the American Harp Society.
www.giladcohen.com
Like many people, I often find myself struggling with letting go of the past. Past events-and, more importantly, their emotional baggage-can linger with us for a lifetime, coloring our actions, reactions, and the way we experience life. In Saucerful of Memories, all four movements portray strong emotions that memories can bring up-namely anger, longing, shame, and helplessness. Like such old memories, which float back and blind our judgement with their poisonous power, this piece is saturated with ascending melodies that seem to crawl up from the depths of our psyche. As a way to cope better with these memories and their impact, I envision a vessel in a remote room, one that could keep them away from day to day life and weaken their power, but, when the need arises, will still allow observing them from a healthy distance and learning from them. The piece ends with a descent into nothing, allowing the hard emotions to submerge and come to a rest in a saucerful of memories.

[@nickpayne9662]

What an amazing piece, I loved playing it!

[@giladcom]

Thanks so much for your awesome playing! It was so much fun working together.

[@iuvela]

An extremely interesting combination of instruments, the best instrumental timbre that could be achieved. Fantastic!

[@giladcom]

Glad you enjoyed it, thanks so much!

[@lyst3083]

Awesome composed and absolutely magnificent played. I hope, your work becomes better known in Germany since Sivan Magen is now in Berlin.

[@giladcom]

Many thanks! I hope so too...

[@YoctocosmosLEstablishment]

​@@giladcomi am crazy of where to buy it?

[@giladcom]

@@YoctocosmosLEstablishment Do you mean where to buy the score?

[@xiaodixu990]

Bravo！Such a cool piece!!!

[@giladcom]

Thanks so much!

[@ralphallen2043]

This is awesome

[@giladcom]

Thank you!

[@leeujii]

Omg this is amazing too!!! Does this piece have a harp and piano reduction?

[@giladcom]

Thank you! Not yet, I'm afraid...