French harpist Xavier de Maistre's new album shows an interesting combination and range of two romantic harp concertos by Reinhold Glière and Glière's pupil Alexander Mosolov, as well as two single pieces by two Alexander Glasunov and de Maistre's own arrangement of Tchaikovsky's "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy".
Reinhold Glière's (1874-1956) Harp Concerto op. 74 is one of his most frequently performed an beloved works. With beautiful flowing figures, cascading arpeggios, and glissandi, it highlights the harp's virtuosic qualities. In direct response to Glière's concerto, his pupil Alexander Mosolov (1900-1973) also wrote a harp concerto. It is characterized by simple, folksong-like melodies, which are often played around by the harp with figurations and arpeggios; in the first movement in particular, the harp presents itself with many solos and virtuoso cadenzas. Xavier de Maistre chose "Prelude et La Romanesca" from "Raymonda" by Alexander Glasunov (1865-1936) as an homage to the ballet. The Prelude is only a short prelude to the "Romanesca", it shows the ballet's principal character Raymonda playing the lute, while the virtuoso arpeggios of the lute are played by the harp. The last piece of the album is Xavier de Maistre's own harp arrangement of Tchaikovsky's (1840–1861) "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" from The Nutcracker, op. 71. Originally, written for the celesta, Xavier de Maistre found that the it sounded even more brilliant on the harp.