Bernard Andres CD by Isabelle Perrin: Isabelle Perrin

Bernard Andrès, a contemporary French composer for the harp, is well known for his wide range of compositional styles. He confesses that he does not like to linger in any one musical vein. This fine solo harp CD by Isabelle Perrin, harpist with the National Orchestra of France, showcases this diversity. The music ranges from lovely, lyrical melodies with a distinctly French feel, to very modern pieces with sparse melodies, employing many different pedal harp techniques such as using the soundboard for percussion. This CD of music by Bernard Andres is an excellent addition to any eclectic harp collection.

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Born in 1941 in Belfort France, near the Swiss and German, Bernard Andres studied at the Conservatoires of Besancon, Strasburg and Paris, where he won a first prize for harp. He was engaged as a soloist in the Orchestre Philarmonique de Radio-France, while pursuing a composing career as well. Bernard Andres is today a leading composer of music for the harp. He writes in a variety of styles for harpists of all skill levels, and has developed his own notation style and a number of special harp effects. Andres is also a noted teacher who has influenced an entire generation of French harpists.

After completing her studies at the Conservatoire de Nice, France, French harpist Isabelle Perrin gave her first recital at the age of seventeen at a festival for young soloists: the Festival M‚diterran‚en des Jeunes Solistes. Following this, she studied at the Juilliard School of Music in New York for three years where she perfected her technique before joining the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. On her return to France, she was chosen by the Jeunesses Musicales de France to go on tour for three consecutive years giving recitals throughout France, thus introducing the harp to a wider public.

Isabelle regularly performs with many prestigious orchestras, including the Northwest Sinfonietta (Seattle, USA), the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestre National de France. She has also performed with the Oshawa-Durham Symphony (Canada), the Orchestre National d'Ile de France, the Orchestre National de Lille, the Orchestre National du Capitol de Toulouse, the Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire, and many other orchestras. She tours regularly in Europe, USA, Tunisia, South Africa, China and Japan, and is co-principal harpist of the Orchestre National de France,