Credits:

Gliere / Mosolov / De Maistre, Xavier

Description:

The latest album by harp innovator Mestre is a Russian album featuring two famous concertos. Xavier de Mestre began playing the harp at a music school in his native Toulon, and in 1998 won first prize and two interpretation awards at the renowned USA International Harp Competition (Bloomington). In the same year, he was appointed solo harpist of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, the world's most prestigious orchestra, a position that anyone could aspire to. Since leaving that position, he has traveled the world as an innovator who has revolutionized the concept of the harp as an instrument. This album features an interesting combination of the most important romantic and modern harp concertos by Glière and his pupil Mosolov, and Tchaikovsky's Dance of the Sugar Sugar Spirits, a work by Glazunov and Mestre's own arrangement of it. The Harp Concerto Op.74 by Reingold Glière (1874-1956) is one of the most frequently performed and beloved of his works. With its beautifully flowing sound patterns and cascading arpeggios and glissandos, this work highlights the virtuosity of the harp.The Harp Concerto, also composed by his pupil Alexander Mosolov (1900-1973) in response to Glière's concerto, features a simple folk-song-like melody played by the harp with chords, melodic ornaments, and arpeggios, with many harp solos and cadenzas, especially in the first movement. The first movement in particular features many harp solos and cadenzas, creating a virtuoso atmosphere. Xavier de Mestre chose "Prelude and Romanesca" from the ballet "Raimonda" by Alexander Glasnoff (1865-1936) as a tribute to the ballet. The "Prelude" is only a short prelude to the "Romanesca," but it depicts Raimonda, the ballet's main character, playing the lute, with the harp performing the lute's virtuosic arpeggios. The last piece on the album is Mestre's own arrangement for harp of the "Dance of the Sugar Sugar Spirit" from Tchaikovsky's (1840-1861) ballet, "The Nutcracker". Originally a piece in which the celesta plays an active role, Mestre found that the piece sounded more vivid on the harp, so he arranged and performed it. Performing with him are Nathalie Stutzman, who has recently been active as a conductor, with her tact and the WDR Symphony Orchestra of Cologne (formerly known as the Radio Symphony Orchestra of Cologne). The performance is exquisite, with Mestre's deep musicianship and colorful, warm tone, and it is a performance that maximizes the charm of the harp as an instrument. Sony Music