^{Esther Swift of Clouds Harp Quartet / Picture Credit: Douglas Roberts}

★★★★☆

The Clouds Harp Quartet, made up of Elfair Grug Dyer, Rebecca Mills, Esther Swift and Angelina Warburton, are an innovative group of harp players playing genre-bending compositions spanning folk, jazz and classical.

Their Hidden Door performance took place in the heart of the Old Royal High School building in the ‘Central Chamber’, where an in-the-round stage had been constructed in the middle of circling wooden pews. The four magnificent harps were set in a square on stage facing inwards, which created a certain magnetism when the players took their places. 

The opening number moved from a series of slow plucks into rich chords that immediately invited the audience into Clouds’ vast and captivating world. The quartet came alive when a recurring theme from the recognisable ‘Drunken Sailor’ revealed itself in the opening number, which they punctuated with synchronised knocking on their harps' wooden frames. Other creative ways to elicit interesting sounds and textures were used in more experimental compositions, including weaving paper and a metal wire through the harp strings. 

Stunning harmonies and spine-tingling arpeggios always made their way into the compositions, even in the music’s more challenging moments. Subtle hints of crescendo added intensity in places and the addition of the human voice created further depth in the trad/folk numbers. 

A resounding admiration was felt in the room for the variety in which the quartet showcased their harps. Watching these large and intricate instruments played live, with their multiple pedals and towering frames, was an impressive spectacle in itself, made lovelier with interesting musical selections and captivating chemistry. 

Esther Swift will be performing her Fringe show Sound Effects on Wednesday 10, Wednesday 17 & Tuesday 23 August at the Pianodrome.