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American Record Guide

Greek-British flutist Anna Rosa Mari and Welsh harpist Eira Lynn Jones constitute The Juniper Project. In their debut recording (titled “Fragments”) they offer a program of 20th Century pieces. There is only a single movement from John Rutter’s Antique Suite and the Suite for Flute and Harp by John Marson (1932-2007). We get all three Fragments by Witold Lutoslawski and a 7-movement suite called Algae from French harpist-composer Bernard Andres (b 1941). Algae or Seaweed is a pleasant set of miniatures written in 1987 for oboe and harp. A few sounds are vaguely aquatic, but the rest is left to our imagination. The next-largest selection is The Garden of Adonis by Alan Hovhaness, whose name is misspelled. It’s a pity the Juniper Project leaves us wanting more by only programming 3 of its 7 movements (well, fragments).

Both players have a lush sound that is captured beautifully. This program is easy listening in the least pejorative sense. The harp writing calls for Jones to imitate the sounds of xylophone and guitar, and Hovhaness also brings in a touch of Asia, though the title of his work comes from Spenser’s Faerie Queen. The third movement of Marson’s Suite has touches of jazz, and the first Fragment of Lutoslawski’s set aims to be casting a spell, so it is suitably hypnotic. The result of this variety, though fragmentary, is satisfying in every other sense.