In the world of symphonic music, the harp is often likened to the “whisper of an angel” – soft, ethereal, but rarely stepping into the spotlight center stage. Xavier de Maistre is one of the very few artists who changed that. He is not only a master of technique, capable of controlling 47 strings like a miniature orchestra, but also a storyteller through sound, transforming the harp from an accompanying role into the soul of the entire performance.
The Harp Legend Xavier de Maistre
Having held the prestigious position of principal harpist at the Vienna Philharmonic – one of the world's most renowned orchestras – Xavier has stepped onto the international stage as a solo artist, conquering major concert halls such as Carnegie Hall (New York), Musikverein (Vienna), Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), and the Sydney Opera House. Critics from Gramophone, Le Figaro, to BBC Music Magazine have all ranked him among "artists who have changed the way the world listens to the harp".
On August 17th, Hanoi audiences will have the opportunity to meet this legend right at the Ho Guom Opera House, during the August concert of the Sun Symphony Orchestra (SSO) with the theme "The Harp Legend: Xavier de Maistre with the SSO". This is a rare occasion in Vietnam where the harp will be fully celebrated through a classic concerto.
Conductor Olivier Ochanine
The concert will open with Zoltán Kodály’s Galánta Dances – a piece that combines Hungarian folk elements with sophisticated symphonic structure. Kodály once transcribed and studied Romani folk music from the Galánta region, then incorporated into the work flowing clarinet melodies, waltz rhythms mixed with csárdás, allowing the audience to imagine the lively markets and festive balls of this land as they listen.
The highlight of the evening is Reinhold Glière’s Concerto for Harp in E-flat major – a rare 20th-century work that truly exploits the harp’s sonic potential. The three movements depict three scenes: grand and expansive, lyrical like a wordless song, and finally, a technically explosive finale. For Xavier de Maistre, this is not just a display of technique, but a delicate dialogue between the harp and the orchestra – where each plucked note is as pure as crystal and as warm as resonating wood.
The concert will bring a musical journey through three countries: Hungary, Russia, and the Czech Republic.
Concluding the journey is Symphony No. 7 by Antonín Dvořák, a Czech romantic masterpiece imbued with Bohemian spirit. This is a work that Johannes Brahms once praised highly, for its ability to combine the tight structure of German symphonies with deep national emotion. The music sometimes meditates and flows like a country river, sometimes rushes like marching footsteps, and finally ends in a proud explosion.
With a structure of three pieces ranging from vibrant and colorful, to subtly lyrical, then bursting with pride, “The Harp Legend: Xavier de Maistre with the SSO” is not just a concert, but an opportunity for the audience to witness how a master artist transforms the seemingly “silent” instrument of the orchestra into a brilliant centerpiece. And that is a musical journey from Hungary, through Russia, to the Czech Republic – where each land will leave an imprint on the listener's mind.
SSO's consecutive concerts feature the world's greatest artists
Each SSO orchestra concert is a new milestone with the participation of world-class artists: from opera legend Plácido Domingo, soprano Kristine Opolais, star Dimash Qudaibergen in “A Night with the Stars”, to violinist Simone Porter and pianist Luong Khanh Nhi. The collaboration with Xavier de Maistre in August continues to affirm SSO's position as a bridge bringing Vietnamese audiences direct access to international performance standards, right at the stage of Ho Guom Opera House.
