Händel

Description

Multi-award-winning harpist Xavier de Maistre devotes his new album to one of the greatest composers of the Baroque era: Georg Friedrich Handel. Entitled "Händel", this album will be released on Sony Classical, in collaboration with the Festival Strings Lucerne ensemble.At the heart of this recording is the Harp Concerto in B-flat major, HWV 294: the only harp concerto ever composed by Handel, created in 1736 with the Welsh harpist William Powell. This work, emblematic for Xavier de Maistre, marked a turning point in his career: "This concerto was the first record I received as a gift from my teacher, for my first audition. From the very first notes, I knew that the harp would guide my life. It accompanied me throughout all my years of training. I waited a long time before recording it, because I was looking for the right partners. Today, with the Festival Strings Lucerne, I have found that alchemy."The album also includes new arrangements of two concertos originally written for organ: the Concerto in D minor, HWV 309, and the Concerto in F major, HWV 293, reinvented here for harp and orchestra. Two pieces for solo harp enrich the program: the majestic Passacaglia, taken from Suite No. 7 in G minor, HWV 434, originally composed for harpsichord, as well as the Tema con Variazioni.Among the highlights of the record, one finds a Minuet in G minor (HWV 434/4) revisited for harp and muted piano, in a duo with French pianist Julien Quentin, as well as an unpublished variation of the Air from the Water Music, arranged for harp and accordion with Martynas.A true tribute to Handel's virtuosity and the celestial voice of the harp, this album reflects Xavier de Maistre's unique approach: to make his instrument shine by infusing it with a new modernity. A world-renowned harpist, he has been working for several years to expand the harp repertoire by commissioning original works from contemporary composers, while making bold transcriptions of great instrumental works.