Chanson dans la nuit - Music for Viola and Harp

Recommendation

Music that has long been familiar often feels newly discovered through the simple shift of colors, textures and timbre. This, of course, is the magical art of orchestration, but this same sense of transformation can be accomplished by simply transcribing music from its original, familiar setting to one that is completely different, unique, and effective. This is what we have here in a program of, for the most part, transcriptions for viola and harp. The album titled Chanson dans la Nuitis performed by violist Jitka Hosprová and harpist Katerina Englichová - a combination of instruments that is unquestionably unique and effective.

The works on this CD span nearly 300 years from the Five Old French Dances by Marin Marais and the Sarabande from a Bach Partita to familiar and much loved pieces by Debussy, Fauré and Kreisler. The combination of the smoky-toned and sorrowful sounding viola with the crystalline and delicate harp is splendid! It is perhaps more successful than viola with piano because when both of those instruments are played with passion, the viola can easily be lost. This is not a recording for the fact-checking, authentic performance practice purist. Since the harp itself in any form close to the instrument played on this recording was patented around 1800, anything played on it cannot help but sound as though it came out of the Romantic period. That is the case for the Baroque and Classical period pieces heard on this recording, but for me, these were some of the most evocative tracks on the disc.

So does this work? That depends completely on your point of view, and what you might be looking for when you put this disc in your player for the first time. But I think that any music lover would be moved by the beautiful rendition of Fritz Kreisler’s Siciliano heard here, or by Ms. Hosprova’s soaring viola (yes, viola, soaring) in the Prélude La fille aux cheveux de lin by Claude Debussy. This is an hour’s worth of immensely pure, moving and beautiful music. As always with my recommendations, if you buy it from HBDirect and don’t like it, I’ll take it back.

Album Overview

The soft, silvery tone of the harp and the rich, dark timbres of the viola make these instruments the ideal combination for playing a gentle night song or lullaby.Chanson dans la nuit is a meditation amid the quiet of the night... Yet Jitka Hosprová and Kateřina Englichová are also able to make the night dance with their instruments. The listener can savour almost an hour's worth of enchanting music for the viola and harp ranging from the Baroque masters to the French Impressionists. It is hard to believe that La fille aux cheveux de lin or Ravel’s Pavane were not originally created for these very instruments and that they can be played otherwise.

The programme was compiled for the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra's enormously popular "For Mothers-To-Be" concert cycle. It makes a refreshing change to hear the bright sound of the violin replaced by the deeper colours of the viola, the brilliancy of the piano by the lambent tones of the harp, especially when the two instruments are in the hands of two such charming ladies and superlative musicians. Their music finds its way directly to the heart.

Source: Supraphon

Katerina Englichova, harp	Performer: Katerina Englichova, harp One of the most sought after Czech harpists of her generation, Katerina Englichova performs all over Europe, North America, Japan, Hong Kong and New Zealand. She has collaborated with artists such as…  read more
Jitka Hosprova, viola	Performer: Jitka Hosprova, viola Jitka Hosprova has been recording gems of Czech viola literature and modern international classics since 2001. She regularly records for Czech Radio and Radio France, including scores of Czech and World premieres. She also records for Supraphon… read more

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