Albrechtsberger, J G: Harp Concerto in C major

The three compositions recorded here by Suzanna Klintcharova are a brilliant example of Viennese Classicism.

Elizabeth Hainen, Solo Harpist of the Philadelphia Orchestra, spans three centuries of composition with her new recording of Harp Concertos.

Elizabeth Hainen, Solo Harpist of the Philadelphia Orchestra, is known internationally as one of classical music's great harp ambassadors. She has thrilled audiences throughout the world with programmes showcasing the diversity and virtuosity of her instrument. Her first recording for Avie features three concerti spanning as many centuries. Austrian composer Johann Georg Albrechtsberger was a highly regarded teacher who counted Hummel and Beethoven among his pupils, and whose Harp Concerto of 1773 straddled the Baroque and Classical eras. English harpist and composer Elias Parish Alvars toured Europe widely and settled in Vienna. His G minor Concerto, written in 1842, was a virtuosic vehicle befitting his own temperament – Berlioz called him the Liszt of the harp. Saint-Saëns wrote dozens of concertante works but only one for harp, the 1918 Morceau de concert.

Johann Georg Albrechtsberger (1736-1809) originally studied music at Melk Abbey and philosophy at a Benedictine seminary in Vienna and became one of the most learned and skillful contrapuntists of his age. His fame as a theorist attracted a large number of pupils including, Hummel, Moscheles, Wiegel and Beethoven. This delightful collection of works will surely put Albrechtsberger in the limelight, where he so rightly belongs.