Oxana Thijssen’s debut album features six lesser-known works by Elias Parish Alvars. Elias Parish Alvars: Selected Works for Harp Solo, Volume 1 will be released as a physical CD on Oct. 24 and digitally on Nov. 7 on the label Kasper & Oxana Music. Physical CDs are available for pre-order online. The CD also includes a 40-page bilingual booklet (in English and Dutch) with notes about the music, Parish Alvars’ life, and the historic instrument used on the recording.
“I am happy to present my debut album with works by Elias Parish Alvars (1808–1849), one of the most celebrated harpists of 19th-century Europe,” Thijssen says. “Today, only a few of his pieces are still performed, while much of his rich repertoire has been forgotten. On this album I explore some of these lesser-known works, performed on an original Erard harp from 1852, an instrument close to the one Alvars himself played.” Thijssen explains that this smaller and more delicate instrument allows her to better imitate his virtuosic style by understanding the sound and feel of the historic instrument he wrote for.
Thijssen says she hopes her project will encourage all harpists to take a closer look at the extent of Parish Alvars’ compositions, especially his forgotten works. Her album includes Grande Fantaisie pour la Harpe Op. 61 (dedicated to Pierre Erard and written with original themes by Parish Alvars), as well as several pieces inspired by poems, operatic themes, or dramatic storylines: Gretchen’s Gebet Op. 72, Souvenir de Pischek Op. 89, Fairies’ Dance Op. 76, Traum am Bache Op. 71, and Grande Fantaisie pour la Harpe sur des Motifs de l’Opera “Moïse” de Rossini Op. 58.
Thijssen is a Dutch-Hungarian harpist and is based in The Netherlands. She has studied the harp since she was 6 years old with Valérie Rijckmans, Manja Smits, and Erika Waardenburg. She finished her studies at both the Conservatorium van Amsterdam with Erika Waardenburg and the Universität Mozarteum in Salzburg with Stephen Fitzpatrick. She performed solo concerts and concerts with orchestra in well-known concert halls in the Netherlands over the past years. Thijssen describes her goals as a performer as to connect with the audience and increase their interest in the harp’s sound, repertoire, and history. For more information, visit her website.
