Magdalena Hoffman - Nightscapes for Harp

Decca (UMO) / Classics / Deutsche Grammophon

£12.56

Format: CD
Catalogue No.: 4861724
Barcode: 0028948617241
Release Date: 11 Feb 2022
Genre: Classical

Night falls in diverse ways in Magdalena Hoffmann’s Deutsche Grammophon debut album. Nightscapes, set for release on 11 February 2022, sees the German harpist dive deep into the intimate, mysterious, magical world of night music, as well as exploring the theme of dance. Its tracklist spans everything from the austere beauty of Britten’s Suite for Harp Op. 83 and languid lyricism of Pizzetti’s Sogno to the folk like colours of Tournier’s La danse du moujik. The recording comprises both original pieces for solo harp and compositions for piano, skilfully transcribed by Hoffmann herself. The compositions chosen by the artist portray a multitude of nightscapes, from those we can see to those we know by intuition. “At night everything becomes more intimate, more deeply felt, more multilayered,” observes Hoffmann. “The darkness encourages an inward gaze, while the soul stretches its wings – and so does the imagination. Whether in dreams or during sleepless nights, the limitations placed on our minds by the (every)day begin to melt away.”

TRACKLIST
OTTORINO RESPIGHI (1879–1936)

Notturno in G flat major
No. 3 from Sei pezzi per pianoforte P 44, orig. for piano solo | Lento

FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN (1810–1849)

Valse in A minor KK IVb/11 (B 150)
orig. for piano solo, version for harp in A flat minor | Allegretto

Valse in E minor KK IVa/15 (B 56)
orig. for piano solo, version for harp in E flat minor | Vivace

ILDEBRANDO PIZZETTI (1880–1968)
Sogno
Dream | orig. for piano solo

BENJAMIN BRITTEN (1913–1976)
Suite for Harp op. 83
I. Overture. Majestic
II. Toccata. Fast and gay
III. Nocturne. Slow and quiet
IV. Fugue. Lively
V. Hymn. Slow and solemn

JOHN FIELD (1782–1837)
Nocturne in B flat major H 37
orig. for piano solo | Andante (cantabile)

Nocturne in G major H 58
orig. for piano solo | Lento

HENRIETTE RENIÉ (1875–1956)
Danse des lutins
Vivo. Scherzando

CLARA SCHUMANN (1819–1896)
Notturno in F major
No. 2 from Soirées musicales op. 6

orig. for piano solo | Andante con moto

MARCEL TOURNIER (1879–1951)
La Danse du Moujik
The Muzhik’s Dance, no. 12 from Images (Suite No. 4 op. 39 no. 3)

FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN
Valse in A minor “Grande Valse brillante” op. 34 no. 2
orig. for piano solo | Lento

FRED HERSCH (*1955)
Nocturne for the Left Hand Alone
No. 1 from Three Character Studies, orig. for piano solo

JEAN-MICHEL DAMASE (1928–2013)
Fantaisie pour harpe
sur des motifs des Contes d’Hoffmann d’Offenbach

Fantasy for Harp on Themes from Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffmann | Maestoso

FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN
Nocturne in F sharp minor op. 48 no. 2
orig. for piano solo | Andantino