EP: HANDEL – TAILLEFERRE | BERLIN PHILHARMONIC
Conductor: Juanjo Mena | Harp: Marie-Pierre Langlamet | Berliner Philharmoniker Recordings | Release Date: January 3, 2025
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This first release of the year from the Berliner Philharmoniker showcases two contrasting works for harp and ensemble.
George Frideric Handel’s Harp Concerto is one of the most celebrated pieces in the harp repertoire.
In contrast, Germain Tailleferre’s name and compositions remain unfamiliar to many listeners.
In this video, harpist Marie-Pierre Langlamet shares her passion for these works and explains what makes them so captivating.
OVERVIEW
Germaine Tailleferre (1892–1983) was a groundbreaking French composer and the only female member of the influential composers’ collective Les Six, alongside figures like Darius Milhaud and Francis Poulenc. Known for her clear, elegant musical style, Tailleferre’s work reflected the neoclassical movement of the 1920s. Her music exuded a modern sensibility, blending French wit with an accessible, fresh aesthetic. Though she was celebrated for her technical abilities, her career was marred by personal struggles, including difficult marriages and a sense of being overshadowed by her male colleagues in Les Six. Despite these challenges, Tailleferre maintained a prolific output, composing nearly 300 works spanning various genres, including piano pieces, orchestral works, chamber music, and film scores. Her notable compositions include “Jeux de plein” air, a Piano Concerto in D major, and her ”Concertino for Harp and Orchestra”. Though her music wasn’t always in the spotlight, Tailleferre’s contribution to 20th-century music remains significant, and her legacy as a pioneering female composer continues to be celebrated today.
Marie-Pierre Langlamet, born in Grenoble, France, began her harp studies at a young age after discovering the instrument through a children’s album. She trained at the Nice Conservatoire and studied with renowned harpists Jacqueline Borot and Lily Laskine. By 15, she won the Maria Korchinska International Harp Competition, and at 17, she became principal harpist with the Nice Opera Orchestra. She later continued her studies at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.
In 1993, Langlamet joined the Berliner Philharmoniker as principal harpist. She has performed worldwide as a soloist with major orchestras and chamber ensembles. A recipient of the Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2009, Langlamet is also a dedicated teacher in the Berliner Philharmoniker’s Orchestra Academy since 1995. Outside of music, she enjoys skiing, ice-skating, and horseback riding with her children.
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ALBUM: MESSIAEN, TURANGALÎLA-SYMPHONIE
Conductor: Andris Nelsons | Piano: Yuja Wang | Ondes Martenot: Cécile Lartigou | Boston Symphony Orchestra | Deutsche Gramophon | Release Date: December 6, 2024.
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Andris Nelsons and the Boston Symphony Orchestra present a new recording of Olivier Messiaen’s Turangalîla-Symphonie, with pianist Yuja Wang and ondes martenot player Cécile Lartigau. The recording, made in April 2024 at Boston’s Symphony Hall, marks the 75th anniversary of the work’s world premiere by the BSO and Leonard Bernstein in 1949. Commissioned by Serge Koussevitzky, the symphony features a large orchestra, solo piano, and ondes martenot. The performance was part of the BSO’s Music of the Senses Festival.
In the following video, you can listen to the introduction:
OVERVIEW
Olivier Messiaen (1908–1992) was a French composer, organist, and teacher, renowned for his distinctive style that fused traditional and modern elements. He was influenced by a variety of sources, including Roman Catholic liturgical music, bird song, and Eastern music, often combining complex rhythms, rich harmonies, and unique tonal structures. Messiaen’s training at the Paris Conservatory under influential teachers like Paul Dukas and Charles-Marie Widor shaped his approach to composition, and he later became a professor there, teaching many future composers.
Messiaen’s works include orchestral pieces, chamber music, and organ compositions, with “Turangalîla-Symphonie” (1948) and “Quatuor pour la fin du temps” (1941) being two of his most significant works. A devout Catholic, his faith was a central theme in much of his music. Messiaen’s innovative use of rhythm and harmony, along with his exploration of synesthesia, where he associated specific colors with sounds, set him apart as a pioneering figure in 20th-century classical music.
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