Magdalena Hoffmann - Nightscapes (2022) [Hi-Res]

The night has never ceased to inspire artists, whether in literature, painting or music. And for good reason: is it not the place of intimacy, introspection and - above all - of the imagination? When the mystery of the night is expressed in music, and in particular on the harp, it touches us all and evokes very concrete images in each of us. In her album Nightscapes, Magdalena Hoffmann has set herself the task of capturing the magic of the night: "My instrument is the ideal vehicle for this intimate, but also magical and fantastic atmosphere. It's not for nothing that the harp often corresponds to celestial or underworld moments in the orchestra.

The German harpist, born in 1990 in Basel, discovered her favourite instrument at an early age. Her career took a turn when, in 2016, she received two special prizes at the ARD International Competition. Two years later, she became principal harp in the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. In 2021 she signed an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon, and Nightscapes is her first project.

The album consists of original compositions for harp and arrangements of piano pieces. The former includes Benjamin Britten's Suite for Harp, Op. 83, a key work in the 20th-century repertoire for the instrument. There is also the Danse des lutins by Henriette Renié (1875-1956), a French harpist for whom Fauré, Debussy and Ravel composed.
Magdalena Hoffmann also performs pieces by Chopin, Clara Schumann, John Field, Ottorino Respighi and Marcel Tournier. The genre of Nocturnes, in particular, conveys the intimate and mystical atmosphere that made it one of the most typical character pieces of Romanticism. But the light, dancing sound of the harp is also perfectly suited to Chopin's waltzes or Jean-Michel Damase's Fantaisie. Hoffmann, for her part, sublimates the very special intimacy of the instrument's sound. A magical stroll through the night. © Lena Germann/Qobuz