Lyrica Chamber Music features music for harp and violin

When two performers and two instruments vibrate on the same wave length, the results are magical.

Two musicians who exemplify that kind of harmony, harpist Merynda Adams and violinist Christopher Collins Lee, will perform at Lyrica Chamber Music’s third concert of the season, “Romantic Duos for Violin and Harp,” Sunday, Jan. 28, at 3 p.m., at the Presbyterian Church of Chatham Township, 240 Southern Blvd.

They will play short pieces and transcriptions by a variety of composers, including Saint-Saens, Handel, Piazzolla and Puccini. Adams and Lee have been playing together for 15 years.

“When Chris and I perform, there always seems to be so much spontaneity!” Adams said. “We seek to make each performance fresh and new, never rehearsing for an ‘ideal’ but seeing how the piece will flow in the moment.”

Together, Adams and Lee formed the Chamber Music for Charity concert series that raises funds for local nonprofits who help people with basic needs of food and housing.

Composers over the centuries have mostly overlooked the merits of bringing together the harp and the violin. The two instruments take their separate places in the orchestra and have random encounters in diverse chamber music, but seldom take center stage by themselves.

Adams believes the harp and the violin are made for each other.

“The color and dynamic range of the violin is exciting ̶ lush melodies and quickly articulated passages complement the sonority of the harp,” Adams said. “The harp can be lyrical, but also the crisp plucking timbres allow for a variety of sound colors to support the violin.”

French composer Camille Saint-Saens saw the possibilities when he wrote his Fantasie for Violin and Harp which will feature on Sunday’s program.

“He wrote beautifully for the combination,” Adams said. “The work is composed in five connected sections that vary in color and tempo, highlighting different qualities of the two instruments. Saint-Saëns wrote a solo Fantaisie for Harp as well as a harp concerto. He is, of course, known for his ‘Danse macabre’ featuring the violin. He had a lot of experience exploring both instruments and was able to combine fluidity and excitement in developing this duo.”

To expand their repertoire, Adams and Collins have created their own transcriptions of music they love.

“Chris and I have arranged and adapted them from keyboard and orchestral scores,” Adams said. “Part of the joy comes from taking these beautiful melodies and finding a way for them to ‘sing’ on our instruments.”

One of their more imaginative transcriptions is the quartet from Act 2 of Puccini’s underrated opera, “La Rondine.”

“Chris mentioned the Puccini as a possibility for our duo,” Adams said. “When I revisited the piece and realized that it was written for full orchestra, quartet of voices and chorus, I was wondering if we could make it work! The melody is so haunting and romantic. Even though we have scaled down the instrumentation and combined vocal lines, I think the essence of the piece, and hopefully the meaning of the text, is conveyed in our arrangement.”

Adams has long-standing ties with Lyrica. Her piano teacher in high school was Mariel Bossert, founder of Lyrica Chamber Music. “She always had a beautiful sense of collaboration and of taking music to the community,” Adams said

Adams has performed with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, New York Grand Opera, New Philharmonic, Northeastern Philharmonic, Colonial Symphony, Westfield Symphony, Lake Placid Symphonietta and off Broadway in "The Fantasticks."

Described by the Newark Star Ledger as having "played the harp with color and great facility," Adams is a 1994 winner of the Artists International Competition and the Goldblatt Award.

Collins’ career has been storied and diverse. He’s performed as a soloist with such legendary conductors as Leonard Bernstein and Leopold Stokowski. As musical ambassador for the U.S. State Department, he introduced the violin to Tibet, Singapore and Macao.

He served as concertmaster for the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and has made recordings for such prestigious labels as Everest, Delos, CBS and Arista. He has received top prizes in the Carl Flesch International Competition, the Tibor Varga International Competition, the J.S. Bach International Violin Competition, the Lion D’or of the French government, a Guggenheim Grant, the Belgian American Award and The Fritz Kreisler Prize.

The New York Times termed Christopher Lee “an impressive, stylish violinist with something special to say.”

Tickets for the concert are $25-$30. For more information about Lyrica Chamber Music, visit www.lyricachambermusic.org or call 973-309-1668.