Handel; Boieldieu;
Mozart – Harp Concertos
Valérie Milot; Les Violins du Roi;
Bernard Labadie
Analekta AN 29990
The three concertos on this recording remain a major part of the harp repertoire today even though they were written at the time when the harp was not considered much more than a salon instrument, due to the defects of the single pedal mechanism. Interestingly enough, it was Sébastien Érard, a roommate of Boieldieu, who invented the double-action pedal mechanism that greatly improved the sound and the ability of the harp. All three concertos, featuring Valérie Milot as soloist, were recorded on the modern harp thus adding an array of colours and textures that would have been impossible to achieve at the time they were composed.
Handel’s Concerto in B flat Major is my personal favourite on this recording. It was premiered in 1736 at Covent Garden in London, at a concert dedicated exclusively to Handel’s compositions. This concerto has a wonderfully intimate sound throughout. Elegant baroque phrasing of Les Violons Du Roy complements the crispy, sparkling harp sound — creating an atmosphere that is not overly dramatic yet containing a wide range of emotions.
François-Adrien Boieldieu (1775–1834) may not be a familiar name but he was a popular opera composer and piano teacher at the Conservatoire de Paris. His love for opera is evident in his concerto for harp — dramatic orchestra opening of both the first and second movements and many ornaments in delicately virtuosic harp lines. The last movement has a very enjoyable swaying momentum, evoking the spirit of the times.
Mozart wrote the Concerto for Flute and Harp in C, K299 while he was visiting Paris and happened to become a composition teacher for the Duc de Guines’ daughter, who, in turn, occasionally played the harp accompanied by her father on the transverse flute. This concerto is signature Mozart, bursting with melodies and brightness. The flute soloist, Claire Marchand, plays with sensitivity and clarity, and the two instruments blend very well. Milot has composed cadenzas for both Handel’s and Mozart’s concertos, in keeping with the practices of the times and contributing more authenticity to this recording.
