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Le duo violon et harpe est plutôt rare. On a davantage l'habitude d'associer la flûte à la harpe, alors que les sonorités du violon et de la harpe se marient à merveille. La harpiste Marielle Nordmann et le violoniste Nemanja Radulovic qui sont amis de longue date et se produisent souvent ensemble, nous offrent (enfin !) un enregistrement de leur belle collaboration. Dans cet album les transcriptions sont majoritaires, car le répertoire original pour cette formation est assez restreint. On trouve même la célèbre Méditation de Thaïs de Jules Massenet (au départ pour violon et orchestre) dont on ne compte plus les adaptations..

Après un rêve is the title of one of Gabriel Fauré’s most beloved melodies. We have selected the quintessence of the composer’s catalogue in this collection of beautiful tunes featuring Jacqueline du Pré, Sabine Devieilhe, Philippe Jaroussky or Barbara Hendricks.

Anne-Sophie Mutter's Bartók Second is clearly one of the best around. The first movement is a difficult piece to bring off, if only because the beginning is so simple and tuneful compared to later developments. Mutter proves an excellent guide to the music's ongoing development, never losing site of that folk-like opening and always returning to it as if to say, "See, it was there all along!"

A talented pianist with a style diverse enough to fit into swing, bop, and more adventurous settings, Roland Hanna was one of the last in an impressive line of great pianists who emerged in Detroit after World War II (including Hank Jones, Barry Harris, and Tommy Flanagan). After serving in the Army and studying music at Eastman and Juilliard, Hanna made a strong impression playing with Benny Goodman (1958). He worked with Charles Mingus for a period in 1959, and went on to generally lead his own trios. Hanna was an integral part of the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis orchestra (1967-1974), and in 1974 helped found the New York Jazz Quartet (with Frank Wess).