Harpist Emily Granger opens the Melbourne concert launching her new album, A Thing of Beauty by inviting the audience to pause and be still; to eschew the pressures and complexity of the outside world and appreciate simple, unaffected beauty. To this end, Granger commissions, selects and arranges music “that speaks directly to the heart”.

The launch concert features world premieres of three commissioned works. In total, Granger performs works by 11 contemporary Australian women, several of which she arranged herself.

Emily’s Suite by Alice Chance is one of the premiered works. The spellbinding opening to Full of Wonder on the harp’s highest strings ensures – and rewards – the audience’s stillness. In the next two movements, Ballad and Chorale, Chance exploits the distinctive tones of the lower registers. By the end, it feels as if Emily’s Suite has introduced both the beautiful instrument and the performer.

Emily Granger. Photo supplied

Anne Cawrse’s Come to me, based on the poem Echo by Christina Rosetti, is another specially commissioned work. Granger recites the poem before she plays, setting the scene for Cawrse’s soulful, reflective interpretation of the poem.

Poetry is also the springboard for Karoola Seasons by Tasmanian harpist-composer Christina Sonnemann. Sonnemann used haiku by fellow Tasmanian Hilary Burden to create four vivid sound pictures such as alpacas frolicking and a wren skating on the frozen birdbath.

Interspersed between these poetic works are three pieces inspired by motherhood. Katy Abbott personally introduces Not Just Another Day (written for a friend’s baby), after which Granger plays two soothing lullabies: Nat Bartsch’s Call and Response and Alby’s Lullaby by Tara Minton.

The concert ends with the world premiere of the ‘thing’ that crystallised the concept for this album: A Thing of Beauty by Adelaide-based composer Hilary Kleinig, especially written for Granger’s album. Kleinig’s musical miniatures depict her myriad encounters with beauty in daily life. A Thing of Beauty is aptly named: it features a sparkling theme that seems to rotate like a mobile so that it sounds repeatedly – and  differently – as it passes by.

Each musical vignette on this program reflects the composer’s distinctive style and tone palette, showcasing the instrument’s fine tone and the performer’s versatility. The way Granger articulates her own aspirations and acknowledges her collaborators gives the audience a glimpse into the worlds the composers sought to evoke: the natural beauty in America (Sarah Elise Thompson and Margaret Tesch-Muller), reminiscences (Romanian-trained harpist Ulpia Erdos) and the poignancy of a loved one’s cognitive decline (Sally Greenaway). These personal touches add human interest to an already touching and inspiring musical experience.

Emily Granger presents A Thing of Beauty in the Utzon Room, Sydney Opera House on 13 July.