Henriette Renié

Night falls in diverse ways in Magdalena Hoffmann's debut album. Nightscapes sees the German harpist dive deep into the intimate, mysterious, magical world of night music, as well as exploring the theme of dance. Its track list spans everything from the austere beauty of Britten's Suite for Harp Op. 83 to the folk-like colors of Tournier's La danse du moujik. The recording comprises both original pieces for solo harp and compositions for piano, skillfully transcribed by Hoffmann herself.

Lyrically played by one of a new generation of French players, Ballad in Red is a beautifully recorded, imaginative collection of music for harp. Hindemith’s Sonata, written on the eve of the Second World War and his only work for harp, is a supremely evocative vision of music beyond death. Caplet’s Conte fantastique, with its blood-soaked climax, is brilliantly done by Ceysson and his string-playing colleagues—and clearly inspired Leone’s vivid Red Quintet, the only work here by a living composer. Debussy’s dances also shimmer gloriously.