CD Feature/ Amadeus Duo: "Krumpholtz - Sonatas for Flute & Harp"
Tobias
He may have lived in the 18th century, but Krumpholtz is a man of the future. There are two good reasons for that: Firstly, that a new generation of harpists is quickly popularising the instrument to an extent that only this Czech composers’ contemporaries would have thought possible – back then, manufacturers gave the instrument its current form for the first time and people were storming concert halls to see him and his young wife Anne Marie perform live together. Floraleda Sacchi is one of these up and coming harpists and her rise should put Krumpholtz where he belongs: Back in the spotlight.
And secondly, his music combines catchiness, ingenuity and masterly compositional craft in such a way that it should seem impossible for it to remain anonymous for too long. In fact, we wouldn’t be overly surprised if the Amadeus Duo (consisting of Floraleda and Claudio Ferrarini) should kickstart his renaissance right away. Simply put, this disc, comprising his Sonatas for Flute and Harp, is an eye- and ear-opener and positions Krumpholtz as the Vivaldi of the Harp: Loved by the public, revered by musicians and acclaimed by critics. His vivid, lively, spontaneous pieces full of energy and well-dosed melancholy woefulness merrit this comparison in every second and the Amadeus Duo add to this a dreamy sense of elevation. Their dense, deep and dynamic interpretation seems to stem not only from the score, but from an intuitive understanding of its spirit. Which only gains in importance, as time moves on and Krumpholtz’ pieces become more complex – you could compare this development with the early and progressive years of the Beatles: Sonatas No. 4-6 are still melodic and emotional, but yet less naive and more experimental: The opening movements of the last two Sonatas take 8 minutes and his last work consists of only two, instead of the usual three parts.
It would be easy, but probably wrong to put this down to Krumpholtz’ personal history: In 1788, his whife leaves him for extrovert piano virtuoso J.L. Dussek. When pain becomes unbarable, it needs release. The Beatles solved the problem by splitting up. Krumpholtz couln’t split up – he drowned himself in the Seine. For 200 years, his compositions remained buried under the waves, as an insider tip and food for experts. With this disc, he may truly live again. Expect to hear more from him soon.
Homepage: Amadeus Duo
Homepage: Floraleda Sacchi
Homepage: Claudio Ferrarini
Homepage: Aulia Records
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