France Ravel, Fauré, Saint-Saëns – Génération @ Aix: Anneleen Lenaerts (harp/mentor), Thomas Briant (violin), Sara Ferrández (viola), Alberto Navarra (flute). Théâtre du Jeu de Palme, Aix-en-Provence, 19.4.2025. (CC)
Debussy – Sonata for flute, viola and harp (1915)
Fauré – Fantaisie, Op.79 (1898, arr. Lenaerts for flute/harp)
Saint-Saëns – Fantaisie for Violin and Harp in A, Op.124 (1907)
Mel Bonis – Chant nuptial, Op.128 (1926)
Ravel – Sonatine, M.40 (1903-5, arr. Carlos Salzedo for viola, flute and harp)
While this concert centred on the harp, the intent was also to introduce some notable young talent on violin, flute, and viola. The ‘mentor’ here was harpist Anneleen Lenaerts, who also gave a masterclass as part of the Aix Easter Festival 2025. She has been Principal Harpist of the Vienna Philharmonic since 2010.
The performance of Debussy’s rarefied Sonata for flute, viola and harp, one of the projected set of six which never came to full fruition, was suffused with beauty. The acoustic of the Théâtre du Jeu de Palme can feel a touch dry, but here it enabled every detail to matter. And for all of the excellence of flutist Alberto Navarra, it was the viola contribution of Sara Ferrández that shone brightest. Born in Madrid, Ferrández studied in Berlin with Tabea Zimmermann; she has been a member of the Karajan Akademie in Berlin since 2019. The opening ‘Pastorale’ was notably refined in this performance; the central ’Interlude’, a minuet, had an easy sense of flow, motifs transferred from viola to flute like the handling of a baton. The music’s increased animation was beautiful, as was the movement of flute and viola in rhythmic unison against the most magnificent harp background. The finale (Allegro moderato ma risoluto) contains the most progressive writing of the piece, an aspect beautifully realised here. And that dry acoustic actually does help with the effectiveness of string staccato.
Fauré’s Op.79 Fantaisie was originally for flute and piano, and here was heard in a version for flute and harp by Lenaerts. Flute soloist Navarra gained recognition by winning the 2022 Carl Nielsen Competition in Odense, Denmark and joined the Karajan Akademie in Berlin (in the 2022/23 season). As a result of that win, he released a disc on Orchid Classics of Nielsen (Flute Concerto), Reinecke (Flute Concerto, Op.283) and the Mozart Concerto for Flute and Harp. Fauré’s piece is dedicated to Paul Taffanel; it exists also in an orchestration by Louis Aubert, dating from 1957. The performance here for flute and harp was a thing of beauty; Navarra’s playing had real character (he had been slightly overshadowed by Ferrández in the Debussy); the performance highlighted the sophistication of Fauré’s melody, reveling in its twists and turns. Navarra’s fluency was most enjoyable, as was every part of Lenaerts’s contribution.
It made sense, after flute and harp, to present a piece for violin and harp, this time an original: Saint-Saëns’s Fantaisie, Op.124, originally written for the Eissler sisters (violinist Marianne and harpist Clara) who were contemporaries of Mahler. This is a fairly extended work. The harp descents of the opening were pure magic; perhaps an acoustic with more bloom would have helped violinist Thomas Briant’s cause, but he has superb accuracy, especially at speed. Lenaerts, meanwhile, gave another masterclass, this time in timbral variety. Most of all, though, this was a reminder of the sheer fertility of Saint-Saëns’s imagination. Then, a real rarity: Mel Bonis’s Chant nuptial; spread chords in the harp were transformed into a sense of wonder by Lenaert while Briant spun the slowly-evolving line.
It takes a lot to take a piece as intimately associated with the piano as Ravel’s Sonatine and convert it into a convincing chamber work, but that was the case here by Carlos Salzedo (1885-1961, and one of the greatest harpists of the twentieth century). True, the inner texture of the opening is surely born for the harp, but there is great skill at work overall here, the stately contrasts contained in the first movement possessed real dignity. The central minuet was full of grace, the finale (Animé) buzzing, alive.
There was huge talent on stage on this particular evening. And while both Thomas Briant and Alberto Navarra are fine players, it is for the name of violist Sara Ferrández I shall be watching the closest.
Colin Clarke
Featured Image: [l-r] Alberto Navarra (flute), Anneleen Lenaerts (harp/mentor) and Sara Ferrández (viola) © Caroline Doutre/Festival de Pâques