At the end of the 18th century, France and Germany developed a passion for harp music; the instrument was everywhere, in concerts and drawing rooms and many masterpieces were written for it. Queen Marie-Antoinette regularly played the pianoforte and the harp and the instrument has remained a symbol of the last two decades of the French court.

The harpist Xavier de Maistre has been leading a brilliant career for 25 years: at 22, he became solo harp at the Vienna Philharmonic and this prestigious position has opened doors on an international career. Passionate about his still little-known instrument and its extraordinary repertoire, he has chosen with William Christie the most evocative works of this golden age of the harp. They are inseparable from the image of the Queen of France, the elegance of her playing on an instrument which reached under Louis XVI unequaled refinement in workmanship,

Xavier de Maistre appears courtesy of Sony Classical.