The soft, silvery tone of the harp and the rich, dark timbres of the viola make these instruments the ideal combination for playing a gentle night song or lullaby.

Chanson dans la nuit is a meditation amid the quiet of the night... Yet Jitka Hosprova and Kateřina Englichova are also able to make the night dance with their instruments. The listener can savour almost an hour’s worth of enchanting music for the viola and harp ranging from the Baroque masters to the French Impressionists. It is hard to believe that La fille aux cheveux de lin or Ravel’s Pavane were not originally created for these very instruments and that they can be played otherwise.

The programme was compiled for the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra’s enormously popular “For Mothers-To-Be” concert cycle. It makes a refreshing change to hear the bright sound of the violin replaced by the deeper colours of the viola, the brilliancy of the piano by the lambent tones of the harp, especially when the two instruments are in the hands of two such charming ladies and superlative musicians.

Their music finds its way directly to the heart. Chanson dans la nuit on the strings of the viola and harp – an hour of graceful music close to the heart.