COMPOSERS: Britten,Hindemith,Özdil,Tailleferre
LABELS: Canal Grande
WORKS: Impromptu; Suite for Harp
PERFORMER: Godelieve Schrama (harp)
CATALOGUE NO: CG 9530 DDD
In her beautifully recorded solo disc, Schrama reveals herself to be one of the foremost young harpists of today, combining technical artistry with musicality. All the repertoire chosen is from this century. Her performance of Britten’s Suite for Harp is statuesquely sculpted while that of the Fauré Impromptu is more lush than any I have heard.
The Hindemith and Tailleferre Sonatas are given accomplished performances, while Özdil’s Aganta, Burina, Burinata (1990) is a (sometimes alarming) inventory of 20th-century harp effects in which Schrama displays her considerable power and command. Vigh’s recording lacks much of the energy, strength and overall vision of Schrama’s performance. It is a compilation of several of the harp’s most fêted solo pieces and transcriptions as well as an operatic cadenza and a Handel operatic arrangement.
Vigh is at her best in the last six tracks, beginning with the Donizetti Lucia di Lammermoor cadenza, a sparkling 19th-century showcase of arpeggios and runs. Debussy’s La fille aux cheveux de lin and Clair de lune are both sensitively played and the sound quality is generally good.