Hidden Treasures: Harp Sonatas In Exile (1939: 1972) – Anna Castellari

This Da Vinci Classics album offers a panorama over some of the most significant harp works written in the twentieth century: not only do they represent some exceptionally fascinating results of the entire musical art in contemporaneity, but they also constitute as many samples of different schools, genres, and approaches to music in general, and to the harp in particular. Germaine Tailleferre’s Sonata, written for Nicanor Zabaleta, demonstrates its composer’s refined language and her precision in the handling of harmony, counterpoint and texture. Sergiu Natra’s Sonatina, written for the Israel Harp Contest, is a magnificent showpiece for the performer’s skills. Hindemith’s Sonate reveals the many hardships lived by its composer immediately before World War II, and incorporates a wordless song inspired by German Romantic poet Ludwig Hölty. The chromaticism and complex harmonies of Ernst Krenek’s Sonata makes a pronounced contrast with the humour and light-heartedness of the Sonata by Darius Milhaud, which completes the programme.