George Frideric Handel - Harp Works (Xavier de Maistre)

Information

Composer: George Frideric Handel

• Harp Concerto in B-Flat Major, HWV 294, Op. 4 No. 6
• Organ Concerto in D Minor, HWV 309, Op. 7 No. 4 (arr. Xavier de Maistre)
• Organ Concerto in F Major, HWV 293, Op. 4 No. 5 (arr. Álmos Tallós)
• Tema con variazioni
• Suite No. 7 in G Minor, HWV 432: VI. Passacaglia (arr. Tiny Béon)
• Minuet in G Minor, HWV 434/4 (arr. Jan-Peter Klöpfel)
• Water Music Suite No. 1, HWV 348: IV. Air (arr. Jan-Peter Klöpfel)

Xavier de Maistre, harp

Festival Strings Lucerne

Julien Quentin, piano

Martynas, accordion

Date: 2025

Label: Sony Classical - Sony Music

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Harpist Xavier de Maistre’s latest album, with Festival Strings Lucerne, is devoted to the music of George Frideric Handel. At its center is Handel’s Concerto in B-flat major (HWV 294), his only harp concerto, alongside arrangements of two organ concertos (D minor, HWV 309; F major, HWV 293). De Maistre also performs solo harp adaptations of the Passacaglia from Suite No. 7 in G minor (HWV 434) and the Tema con Variazioni. A highlight is the Minuet in G minor (HWV 434/4), arranged for harp and piano, where he is joined by French pianist Julien Quentin.

French harpist Xavier de Maistre (b. 1973, Toulon) is internationally acclaimed as a soloist and recording artist. A former student of Vassilia Briano, Catherine Michel, and Jacqueline Borot, he won First Prize at the USA International Harp Competition in 1998 and became the first French musician to join the Wiener Philharmoniker. He performs with leading orchestras worldwide under conductors such as Simon Rattle, Riccardo Muti, and Daniel Harding, and appears at prestigious festivals including Salzburg, Verbier, and Rheingau. An avid chamber musician, he collaborates with artists like Rolando Villazón and Diana Damrau. Since 2008, he has recorded exclusively for Sony Music.

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