Paola Perrucci - Duets for Harp & Piano - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

A native of England, Elias Parish Alvars became established as a fully-fledged European artist. He travelled extensively, working alongside Carl Czerny and gained the esteem of Mendelssohn and Berlioz, who declared that 'this man is a magician', with a 'passionate impulse to express the music of another world'. Composed in a Romantic style, Parish Alvars' fantasias and refined elaborations on themes by Bellini explore every aspect of the harp's technical and expressive qualities, from spectacular virtuosity to evocative and transparent effects that were revolutionary in their time. These works are performed here by Paola Perrucci, who currently teaches at the Conservatory of Bologna.

Digitally remastered and remixed in 2008. Reissue of the 1980 album by the esteemed Prog/Rock band featuring a new stereo mix of the album. This reissue features the new mix of the album's original tracks (sans bonus tracks) yet adds a new breath of fresh air on these classic recordings. 12 tracks including 'Misunderstanding', Turn It on Again' and 'Duchess'.

Harpist to Queen Victoria, the Welsh composer John Thomas (1826-1913) was also a prolific composer for his own instrument, writing works both for solo harp and for duos of two harps or harp and piano - a combination where the different sounds of the two instruments enhances the clarity of the texture. Thomas' original works use the elegant Romantic style of his own day, but he often drew on Welsh folksong for his inspiration and also left a generous legacy of transcriptions, especially of operatic favorites. Duo Praxedis comprises the harpist Praxedis Hug-Rütti and the pianist Praxedis Geneviève Hug. Together they have been enchanting audiences for many years. Duo Praxedis's mission is to revive the once popular repertory for harp and piano that flourished from about 1780 until about 1915. Since 2010 Duo Praxedis has been performing regularly throughout Europe and the United States, invariably with great success.