When the young Archduchess of Austria, Marie-Antointette, arrived at the French court in 1770, amongst her luggage was a harp. Contrary to the instrument’s heralded decline, the harp was about to enjoy an unprecedented popularity and to inspire a rich and prolific repertoire, quite distinct from the concertos being composed for the keyboard. Xavier de Maistre and Les Arts Florissants are offering to take us on a voyage of discovery through this magnificent corpus, brought to life using instruments of the period in a program that is as accomplished as it is captivating, placing other names, other masterpieces in the limelight alongside the likes of Haydn (“La Reine” Symphony) and Gluck!
