Anaïs Gaudemard joue Ginastera, Debussy et Boieldieu : Concertos pour harpe

Description

How right she is, the young harpist Anaïs Gaudemard, to reveal the beauties of an instrument that remains too little known despite the commitment of performers such as her elder Marielle Nordmann! For her first album with orchestra, she has chosen to sweep through a century and a half of concert music, relying on well-established works that are indeed widely present in the catalog but rarely all three associated together. The concerto in C by Boieldieu, a staple for harpists, needs no introduction. Here, one can only praise the clarity and elegance of an interpreter in perfect harmony with the Orchestre de l'Opéra de Rouen Normandie, whose strings are particularly silky—thanks to the gut strings—under the flexible and supple direction of Leo Hussain. The Danses sacrée et profane, a commissioned work, are nonetheless by the great Debussy, presented in their original orchestral setting, which does much more justice to the piece than the more economical string quartet. Full of rhythm, Ginastera's concerto, where the harp willingly takes on a percussive role, is a perfect encapsulation of the Argentine composer's style. Anaïs Gaudemard is, once again, perfectly in her element. (Yves Kerbiriou)