Anneleen Lenaerts’ new album, Vienna Stories, celebrates her experiences as the solo harpist for the Vienna Philharmonic and Vienna State Opera. The album, which features arrangements of orchestral works and operas, will be released on Warner Classics & Erato on November 19. We reached out to Lenaerts to find out more about her project.
What was the inspiration for Vienna Stories?
This year marks the 10th anniversary of me being in Vienna as the solo harpist for the Vienna Philharmonic and Vienna State Opera. This album is a musical reflection of my work with both orchestras and takes you on a trip through my favorite repertoire of both the opera and symphonic world.
How did you choose the program to tell your story in this album?
Each piece of this recording has a special connection with the city of Vienna or a special concert memory I personally lived in the orchestra. For example, I transcribed Les Préludes by Liszt for solo harp, which became one of my favorite orchestral works after a performance with Riccardo Muti. I also wrote a new fantasy on one of my favorite operas, La Bohème by Puccini.
Do you have a favorite track on the album?
I absolutely love Les Préludes by Liszt, which is of course an orchestral piece, and I hope you will enjoy my transcription for harp solo as well!
Where can listeners find your album?
The album will be released on Warner Classics & Erato, where I’m an exclusive recording artist. It will also be available on all streaming platforms like Apple Music, Deezer, Spotify, and YouTube Music.
To learn more, check out Harp Column‘s cover interview with Lenaerts in our May/June 2015 issue.
