Roger Greive of The Harp Column gives this CD his top rating ("Excellent, a must have for your CD library"), calling Ms. Hoult's work "brilliant" and "amazing." Of her "simple yet maddeningly difficult" choice to record this previously unrecorded repertoire in its entirety, he observes that, like Bach's Goldberg Variations, the repertoire, requires, "both artistic stamina and considerable technical prowess. Jennifer Hoult has both, and has given us all a gift for this or any Christmas."
American harpist Jennifer Hoult has performed throughout the United States and in Europe as harp soloist in concert, television, radio, teaching, and workshop appearances. Beginning her study of the harp at age 7, Ms. Hoult appeared as soloist under the baton of Arthur Fielder at age 15, and gave her concerto debut with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at age 16. In 1982, she performed the world premiere of Salzedo's Second Concerto. From 1994-1996 she toured as the American Harp Society’s solo Concert Artist. In 1995, Artists International presented her solo debut to a capacity house in New York’s Carnegie Recital Hall. Ms. Hoult performs regularly in solo and chamber recitals, symphonic concerts, studio recordings, and on Broadway. She holds degrees in Harp from Manhattan School of Music, Computer Science and Religion from Barnard College, and Law, magna cum laude, from New York University School of Law, and lives in New York City. She fondly thanks the Salzedo practitioners with whom she studied: Alice Chalifoux, Marilyn Costello, Lucile Lawrence, Elizabeth Morse, & Beth Robinson.
In 1901, French harpist Carlos Salzedo (1885-1961) earned the unprecedented honor of winning two Premiere Prix from the Paris Conservatory on the same day, in both harp and piano. Salzedo went on to become a luminary figure among 20th Century harpists. Profoundly influenced by modern dance pioneer Vasislav Nijinski, Salzedo departed from a tradition that sequestered the harp in an image of genteel romance and dramatically reconceived it as a powerful, widely-nuanced virtuoso instrument uniquely suited to the modern idiom. His holistic vision encompassed both the instrument’s expressive range in sound and the striking visual effect of choreographed performance, leading him to create a technical method of playing that integrated contemporary physical gesture with virtuoso technique, to pioneer contemporary harp sound effects in his compositions, and to collaborate with Lyon & Healy Harps in the design and manufacture of the first contemporary-style harp: an art-deco style instrument bearing his name. With Edgar Varèse, Salzedo championed modern music, bringing noteworthy 20th Century European works to American audiences. He performed as Solo Harpist in New York City’s Metropolitan Opera, founded the harp department at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia and the Salzedo Harp Colony in Camden, Maine, transposed many works for the harp, and composed a sizeable repertoire ranging in style from late romantic to modern. His Christmas arrangements, all but three of which were written during December of 1954 in his New York City home on Riverside Drive, apply his vision of the contemporary harp’s expressive virtuoso range to a familiar literature.
Produced, Engineered, and Mastered by Adam Abeshouse
Edited by Paul Cox and Adam Abeshouse
Special Thanks to Marcus Paul
Recorded April 11-13, 2005 in Pelham, NY
on a 1980 Lyon & Healy Salzedo model pedal harp
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