Caroline Leonardelli - Serenata (2020)

On each and every one of her previous recordings, El Dorado, Légendes, Impressions de France, and Music by Rachel Laurin, I've constantly emphasized the apparent ease with which harpist extraordinaire Caroline Léonardelli evinces every posible timbral color, and shades of expression from her instrument. And this latest release, an homage to her Italian heritage, is no exception. It features composers from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, when the modern version of the concert harp was being introduced, and composers were eager to explore its possibilities.

Once again, with highly variant degrees of dynamic shading, Caroline Léonardelli shapes and colors the melodies with expressive touches from start to finish. I've always found her to be one of the few harpists who can bring out the harp's manifold personalities and attributes. She seems able to alter the character of her instrument based on the piece at hand. Usually, when listening to solo instrument collections like this, ear fatigue sets in along the way, but her expressive versatility helps the listener avoid that pitfall.

So once again, if the harp is your favorite instrument, this recording featuring emotive Italian music, excellent playing, and impeccable audio, should be part of your collection.

Jean-Yves Duperron