Ballad in Red (Renié, Caplet, Debussy, Hindemith, Salzédo) (Bonus Track Version)

Album review

The harp prodigy Emmanuel Ceysson, member of the orchestra of the Opéra national de Paris and more recently of the Metropolitan Opera, is a real star. His mad rise evokes that of the French Carlos Salzedo, born in the 19th, who became in New York the greatest harpist of his time, and revolutionized the repertoire of his instrument. This new album crosses the twentieth century in a program inspired by Gothic, under the sign of mystery and fantasy. The luminous Ballade by Salzedo resonates here with the works of more famous composers: Debussy’s impressionistic atmospheres shimmer, the fantastic settings of Caplet come to life, and the beauties of Hindemith’s writing play with the incredible sound palette of this orchestra-like instrument. Powerful in the bass, crystalline in the treble, Emmanuel Ceysson’s special red harp – built after Salzedo’s – blossoms fully in virtuoso solo pieces as well as in the dialogue with the strings of the Voce Quartet in the very Argentinian Gustavo Leone’s Quinteto Rojo. This imaginary but coherent musical stroll introduces to the new and captivating universes of the harp, with a repertoire devoted to the instrument. © Aparté