Reviews

A jewel of a recording

Richard Todd, The Ottawa Citizen
Saturday February 10, 2007

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Harpist highlights exquisite concert

Richard Todd, The Ottawa Citizen
Thursday, December 14, 2006

If nothing else had been outstanding in Wednesday evening's concert by the Ottawa Bach Choir, harpist Caroline Léonardelli and others would have been worth attending just to get acquainted with its charming venue.

Fourth Avenue Baptist Church at the corner of Bank and - ah but you've guessed - is a beautiful little space. From the moment you walk in you sense that the acoustics will be friendly on account of the compound pitch wooden ceiling, the general shape of the sanctuary and several other factors.

Harpist Léonardelli opened the program with Alphonse Hasselmans' Conte de Noël, a simple piece that has something of the pulse of a well-told folk tale. The acoustics were warm and immediate, virtually perfect for her instrument.

The female voices of the choir (there were no tenors or basses in the concert) were joined by the celebrated mezzo-soprano Julie Nesrallah in a solid rendition of Benjamin Britten's A Ceremony of Carols. Nesrallah held her rich and powerful voice back enough that it didn't overwhelm the acoustics as it easily could have.

Although their voices don't have Nesrallah's power, sopranos Kathleen Radke and Dayna Lamothe sang beautifully.

The choral work was good too. Articulation slipped just a little in a portion of Wolcum Yole and the pianissimi in A Dew in Aprille were more impressive than expressive, but these were small things.

It must be said, however, that the church's acoustics didn't work as well for voices, whether choral or solo, as they had for the harp.

The highlight of the performance was undoubtedly Léonardelli's achingly ethereal playing of the Interlude, the longest and possibly most perfect movement of Britten's ever-popular Ceremony. That movement was worth the price of admission by itself.

The second half of the program was given to mainly lighter fare. Nesrallah and Léonardelli began with three Spanish carols from Andalusia, Catalan and Puerto Rico. They were well sung and played, but nothing special in themselves.

Léonardelli then performed an arrangement of the American folk carol I Wonder as I Wander and two of the Six Noëls pour harpe. Léonardelli has been in the Ottawa music scene for many years but only began extensive concertising a few seasons ago. She's a real treasure.

The evening ended with Seven Joys of Christmas, a suite of seven carols from five countries arranged by Kirke Mechem, nice stuff and mostly unfamiliar.

"This is one of the most refreshing and delightful Christmas CDs to come along in years."

Richard Todd, The Ottawa Citizen
November 2005

Ottawa harpist Caroline Léonardelli joins forces with the female voices of Lisette Canton's Ottawa Bach Choir and vocal soloists Kathleen Radke, Julie Nesrallah and Dayna Lamothe, as well as percussionist J.S. Lacombe, in a program drawn from traditional and modern sources.

The centerpiece is Britten's A Ceremony of Carols, op. 28. Originally intended for boys' voices and harp, it works even better when the singers are women and sing with the purity and lightness that the women of the OBC bring to the enterprise.

Caroline Léonardelli's harp is an almost constant presence, and her solos, like Marcel Tournier's Trois Noëls pour harps, op. 32 are among the most exquisite offerings. Even better is her version of the Appalachian carol I Wonder as I Wander.

This CD is as good a stocking-stuffer as you'll find.

"These are performances of sensitivity and grace, exhibiting a wide range of subtle colours and an excellent sense of ensemble."

Daniel Foley, WholeNote Magazine
April 2005

Impressionisme, the debut recording from the Canadian harp duo of Caroline Léonardelli and Caroline Lizotte, offers a distinctively Parisian view of the repertoire for harp duet. The crown jewels of this collection are transcriptions of works by Debussy and Ravel. Both compositions were originally conceived for piano four hands and later cast in orchestral versions. Claude Debussy's Petite Suite is one of his most engagingly melodic compositions and lends itself well to the harp in this fine arrangement which makes effective use of antiphonal exchanges between the instruments. With the exception of the chorale-like finale, the arrangement of Maurice Ravel's enchanting Ma Mere l'Oye (Mother Goose Suite) is also surprisingly effective. The startling inclusion of percussive effects (strokes from a gong and antique cymbals) in this work is a clever touch that might seem more convincing to me recorded at a greater distance, reflecting their actual placement of the orchestral stage. Generally however the recording quality is excellent throughout.

Also on offer is an elegant set of Four Preludes crafted in the luxurious Paris Conservatoire style by the eminent harpist Marcel Tournier. Another distinguished alumnus of the Conservatoire, Bernard Andrès, is represented by the delightful Parvis, an engaging carnival of dance rhythms performed with considerable panache. Pierick Houdy's Pour Deux Harpes is uncommonly chromatic, an effect not normally associated with the harp due to its inherently diatonic nature but achieved here through an ingenious manipulation of harmonics. Enrique Granados' well-known Spanish Dance Number 5 dates from a time the composer was living in Paris and is heard in an evocative arrangement by the innovative Carlos Salzedo. These are performances of sensitivity and grace, exhibiting a wide range of subtle colours and an excellent sense of ensemble.

"Impressionisme: Four Stars."

Richard Todd, The Ottawa Citizen
December 11, 2004

If there's anything nicer than a harp recital, it's a two-harp recital, as these Canadian Carolines demonstrate.

The program is evenly divided between little-known works written for two harps, and transcriptions of familiar works by Debussy, Granados and Ravel. The transcriptions are solid and imaginative and, if one sometimes misses the original settings, there are also times when the harp versions sound even better. (The addition of a gong in Ravel's Mother Goose Suite is delightful, if a little over the top.)

Ultimately, though, the listener is more likely to come back to this CD for the works expressly written for harp duo. Marcel Tournier's Four Preludes and Bernard Andrès's Parvis are very solid works, but Pierick Houdy's Pour Deux Harpes is undoubtedly the highlight of the collection.