Lavinia Meijer THE GLASS EFFECT

THE GLASS EFFECT

Lavinia Meijer PASSAGGIO

PASSAGGIO

Lavinia Meijer VISIONS

VISIONS

Lavinia Meijer PHILIP GLASS Metamorphosis - The Hours

METAMORPHOSIS - THE HOURS

Lavinia Meijer DIVERTISSEMENTS

DIVERTISSEMENTS

Lavinia Meijer DIVERTISSEMENTS

As a little girl of eight, I was already captivated by the magical sounds of the harp, so pure and rich. Once I discovered the instrument’s wealth of possibilities during my first lessons and my years at the conservatory, I quickly set myself a goal: I wanted to promote the harp as a solo instrument, wherever and however I could. I wanted to do this not only through the performance of well-known pieces, but also by encouraging contemporary composers to produce new harp compositions.

For my first Channel Classics CD, I have chosen a combination of three 20th-century French masters. The Parisian firm of Érard, in particular, created technical innovations to the harp which considerably broadened the instrument’s (chromatic) capabilities; these innovations, followed by the first ‘minor’ masterpieces by Debussy and Ravel, soon made Paris the epicentre of a veritable harp explosion. More and more well-trained harpists appeared, and so did composers who became interested in the harp. Even though André Caplet did not compose much for the harp, the ‘Deux Divertissements’ are now an indispensable part of the repertoire. They are one of the harpist’s ‘musts’. And I cannot imagine why Jacques Ibert’s ‘Six Pièces’, those surprisingly colourful miniatures – are so rarely performed in their entirety.

French-American Carlos Salzedo occupies a special place in the world of the harp. Famous both as a performer and teacher, he was immensely influential. This grandmaster of the harp was responsible for a whole range of new virtuosic novelties. Composer Elliott Carter noted that Salzedo “presents a whole new repertory of effects for that instrument that are still not incorporated into our composers’ vocabulary”.

I hope that this selection will allow listeners to experience some of the magic that I, too, felt at the age of eight. (Lavinia Meijer)

Catrin Finch JOHN RUTTER Blessing

The greatest privilege for a musician such as myself is the opportunity to create and record wonderful music with fellow musicians and composers. I first met John one afternoon at a London hotel where we sat down for a cup of tea to discuss the possibility of his writing a work for me. Out of this conversation came the Suite Lyrique, which I performed shortly afterwards. It became obvious that we should record it and so I approached DG with the idea. We were overjoyed that they were keen to get involved. So this CD was born.

The music is a collection of some of John's more popular works, some traditional Welsh folk songs, two wonderful lullabies for my girls, and the Suite Lyrique. As we were discussing and preparing the recording, I had started work on a small concerto for harp and strings. It was the first time I had put pen to paper, as it were, and written some music down properly. I was naturally very excited when it was decided to include this work as well - the Celtic Concerto.

There is always a whole army of people who help along the way to make projects like this happen. But, to name just a few ... Thanks to John for all his work and musical inspiration; Elin for her sublime singing; Sinfonia Cymru for providing the fabulous young players that made up the strings and woodwind; Geraint and Elinor for their constant support and friendship; Lou Watson - finally the duet we were waiting for; the studio team for their engineering skills and making it all sound beautiful; and my family, who keep me pulsing on!

I hope you enjoy it. (Catrin Finch)