Mélanie Laurent - Pastel (2025) [Hi-Res]

Tracklist

01. The Colorado Trail,, Op. 28
02. Pastels du Vieux Japon, Op. 47: No. 1, Berceuse du vent dans les Cerisiers
03. Pastels du Vieux Japon, Op. 47: No. 2, Le Koto chante pour l’Absent
04. Pastels du Vieux Japon, Op. 47: No. 3, Le Danseur au Sabre
05. Valse d'Automne, Op. 69 (Arr. for Harp by Mélanie Laurent)
06. Près du ruisseau, Op. 9 (Arr. for Harp by Mélanie Laurent)
07. Sonate pour harpe: I. Allegretto
08. Sonate pour harpe: II. Lento
09. Sonate pour harpe: III. Perpetuum mobile
10. Le Jardin Mouillé
11. Contemplation
12. Rhapsodie pour la Harpe
13. Danse Sacrée et Danse Profane, L. 103: No. 1, Danse sacrée
14. Danse Sacrée et Danse Profane, L. 103: No. 2, Danse Profane
15. Introduction et allegro, M.46
16. L'Éternel Rêveur

With its crystalline, otherworldly timbre—evoking the celestial as much as the aquatic—it’s hardly surprising that the classical harp found such a privileged place in the repertoire of early-20th-century impressionist music. For her first recording, Pastel, released by Indésens/Calliope, harpist Mélanie Laurent brings together a selection of works composed during the first half of the twentieth century. Naturally, the great champions of the genre are present: Debussy, Ravel, Tailleferre. It’s also a real pleasure to hear Tailleferre’s Sonata once again in such a rich and warm interpretation, especially given that Anna Castellari’s 2023 version suffered from an overly shrill recording. The same is true of Debussy’s Danses sacrée et profane, where Laurent joins forces with Élodie Laurent (viola), Manon Galy and Sarah Jégou-Sageman (violins) to form a magnificent, enigmatic quartet.

But it is when she turns to the great composer-performers of the period such as Henriette Renié and Marcel Grandjany that Mélanie Laurent’s artistry truly soars, lifting her vision to stratospheric heights and offering listeners unfamiliar with the harp repertoire something genuinely fresh. The word pastel evokes a world of colour, softness, and gentle reverie, and the album closes fittingly with Marcel Tournier’s L’Éternel Rêveur, a tribute to the harpist’s father, who died shortly before the recording. In Laurent’s hands, the music is precise without being rigid, loose without being baggy, virtuosic without being ostentatious: in short, it encapsulates the paradox at the heart of interpretation, where the evanescence of gesture meets the timelessness of listening.

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