François-Adrien Boieldieu

   French composer

   born: 16 December 1775, Rouen; died: 8 October 1834, Jarcy, Seine et Oise

              Concerto for Harp and Orchestra in C major, op. 77

                          Allegro brillante

                          Andante lento

                          Rondeau:  Allegro agitato

Precocious as a child and largely self-taught, Boieldieu was just fifteen years old when he was appointed organist at the Church of St. André in Rouen.  His earliest compositions date from that time, and by 1793 he had completed his first opéra-comique, La fille coupable (The Blameworthy Girl).  It was this genre that made him famous as "the French Mozart," the crowning example of which is his comic opera La Dame blanche (The Lady in White) from 1825, the most-performed opera of its time.

Boieldieu is also known for his many sets of Romances, based on love lyrics from popular poets and set for voice with keyboard or harp.  He also composed a relatively small collection of instrumental chamber works, mostly for piano.

Given his youthful celebrity, Boieldieu was soon lured to Paris, where he served for two long intervals as professor of piano and composition at the Conservatoire.  During the interim he settled in Russia for eight years, invited to fill the post of music director for the Imperial Court in Saint Petersburg, largely in service to Tsar Alexander.

Published in 1801, Boieldieu's Concerto for Harp in C major was probably written in 1795.  It was most likely intended for performances with a salon orchestra, in keeping with the immense popularity of grand soirées in post-Revolution Paris.

A tuneful introduction sets the bright tone for the harpist.  The writing is notably pianistic, clearly influenced by Mozart, whom Boieldieu revered.  The first movement also offers a fantasy-like dialog between the soloist and orchestra.  For a clear contrast in mood and mode, the second movement, Andante lento, is set in C minor.  After a searching, shadowy introduction in the strings, the music offers a poetic, Romance-like ambiance, very much in keeping with the composer's settings for voice, noted above.

Without pause, the third movement Rondeau sets out on a tour of mini variations on the alluring main theme, with subtle changes at each return.  A marvelous cadenza with rich harmonies hints at the tonalities of the Romantic Age to come.  As if in escort, the orchestra rejoins the soloist just before the punctuated close in C minor.  Magnifique!

program notes by Edward Yadzinsky