Heavenly!

Another radio-inspired post. I was listening to an unfamiliar piece by a composer I’d never heard of, until the last movement came: then it was suddenly one I seemed to have known all my life.

Francois Boieldieu was a Frenchman, more or less a contemporary of Beethoven. Known mostly for his operas, and sometimes called “the French Mozart”, he was one of those artists renowned during his lifetime but since forgotten. This harp concerto seems to be his only non-operatic music of note. Wiki describes it as “one of the masterpieces of the harp repertory” As far as I know, it’s the only thing he’s remembered for today. More than most of us, I suppose.

All the music from the this series can be found and enjoyed here.