Thomas: Complete Duos For Harp And Piano, Vol. 1
Harpist to Queen Victoria, the Welsh composer John Thomas (1826–1913) was also a prolific composer for his own instrument, writing works both for solo harp and for duos of two harps or harp and piano – a combination where the different sounds of the two instruments enhances the clarity of the texture. Thomas’ original works use the elegant Romantic style of his own day, but he often drew on Welsh folksong for his inspiration and also left a generous legacy of transcriptions, especially of operatic favorites. Duo Praxedis comprises the harpist Praxedis Hug-Rütti and the pianist Praxedis Geneviève Hug. Together they have been enchanting audiences for many years. Duo Praxedis’s mission is to revive the once popular repertory for harp and piano that flourished from about 1780 until about 1915. Since 2010 Duo Praxedis has been performing regularly throughout Europe and the United States, invariably with great success.