One of the most antique of instruments, the harp has evolved from simple origins in entertaining the ancient civilisations of Greece, Assyria and Egypt, to the sophisticated 47-string pedal harps seen in orchestras today. The harp has always had a magical quality, but it really came of age as a solo instrument during the 19th century. Much of the repertoire here was created by composer/ performers who were skilfully able to portray the natural world, atmospherically tug at our heartstrings in evocations of love and homeland, charm us with elegant lyricism and amaze our ears with virtuoso technical feats.