Xavier de Maistre

Harp

Representation AT | DE | CEE

Andreas Neudauer
Senior Artist Manager
+43 660 300 2908
neudauer@rbartists.at

Vera Kalman 
Assistant Artist Manager 
+43 660 300 2911 
kalman@rbartists.at

Biography

Xavier de Maistre is one of today’s leading harpists and a profoundly creative musician. As a fierce champion of his instrument, he has broadened the harp repertoire, commissioning new work from composers. He also creates transcriptions of important instrumental repertoire.<o:p></o:p>

Xavier starts his 2023/24 season by opening the Atlanta Symphony’s concert season under Nathalie Stutzmann. From January 2024, Xavier de Maistre gives the premieres of Peter Eötvös’ first harp concerto, specially created for him, with co-commissioners Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Fundação Casa da Música, NHK Symphony…

Xavier de Maistre is one of today’s leading harpists and a profoundly creative musician. As a fierce champion of his instrument, he has broadened the harp repertoire, commissioning new work from composers. He also creates transcriptions of important instrumental repertoire.<o:p></o:p>

Xavier starts his 2023/24 season by opening the Atlanta Symphony’s concert season under Nathalie Stutzmann. From January 2024, Xavier de Maistre gives the premieres of Peter Eötvös’ first harp concerto, specially created for him, with co-commissioners Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Fundação Casa da Música, NHK Symphony Orchestra, Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien. His Serenata Latina duo with Rolando Villazon leads him to such prestigious venues and festivals as Philharmonie de Paris, NY’s Lincoln center, Mozarteum Salzburg and Yerevan Festival. Other season’s highlights also include major invitations to Enescu Festival, Singapore Symphony Orchestra with Pierre Bleuse, his Sydney Symphony Orchestra debut under Dalia Stasevska, as well as Lucerne Symphony Orchestra and Bertrand de Billy. <o:p></o:p>

He is regularly invited by first-class orchestras across the globe: Chicago, Montréal, City of Birmingham, Swedish and Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestras; Los Angeles, London, St Petersburg, Oslo and China Philharmonic Orchestras; Orchestre de Paris, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Mozarteum Orchester Salzburg, Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo; working with conductors including Sir André Previn, Sir Simon Rattle, Riccardo Muti, Daniele Gatti, Philippe Jordan, Bertrand de Billy, Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Daniel Harding, Susanna Mälkki and Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla.<o:p></o:p>

As a recital soloist, he has been a guest at many top festivals, including Rheingau, Salzburger Festspielen, Wiener Festwochen, Verbier, Budapest Spring, Würzburg Mozartfest and Mostly Mozart in New York. He is passionate about chamber music and regularly puts together original recital projects, including numerous collaborations with highly versatile artists like tenor Rolando Villazón, flamenco and castanet legend Lucero Tena, Diana Damrau, Arabella Steinbacher, Daniel Müller-Schott, Baiba Skride, Antoine Tamestit, Mojca Erdmann or Magali Mosnier.<o:p></o:p>

Xavier has been an exclusive Sony Music artist since 2008, when he recorded his first album, Nuit d’Etoiles, dedicated to Debussy. Further releases include Hommage à Haydn (2009), Aranjuez (2010), Notte Veneziana (2012), Moldau (2015), and La Harpe Reine (2016) with Les Arts Florissants and William Christie. His album Christmas Harp (October 2021) features paraphrases and fantasies of famous Christmas carols. He records a highly-acclaimed Serenata Latina album with Rolando Villazon (Deutsche Gramophone) in 2020. In autumn 2022, his latest CD dedicated to Russian music was released, featuring Reinhold Glière's famous harp concerto and Alexander Mosolov's forgotten concerto, accompanied by WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln under the baton of Nathalie Stutzmann.<o:p></o:p>

Born in Toulon, Xavier studied the harp with Vassilia Briano at his local conservatoire, before perfecting his technique with Catherine Michel and Jacqueline Borot in Paris. He also studied in Sciences-Po Paris and then at the London School of Economics. In 1998 he was awarded First Prize (and two interpretation prizes) at the prestigious USA International Harp Competition (Bloomington) and became the first French musician to be admitted at the Wiener Philharmoniker that same year.<o:p></o:p>

He has taught at Musikhochschule in Hamburg since 2001. 
He plays on a Lyon & Healy instrument.<o:p></o:p>

De Maistre is a kind of Hamelin of the harp: the agility, the ease with which the most astonishing technical challenges are surmounted, the conversational phrasing and evenness of rapid passagework instantly amaze. But it is also his depth of tone and variety of colour that beguile.

11.10.2023

Xavier de Maistre at the season opening weekend of the Stiftung Mozarteum
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17.09.2023

Xavier de Maistre at the Enescu Festival in Bucharest
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10.07.2023

Xavier de Maistre performs recital at Carinthian Summer Festival
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30.06.2023

Maria Ioudenitch and Xavier de Maistre receive Opus Klassik Award
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12.06.2023

Raab & Böhm Artists among Opus Klassik nominees
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22.01.2021

Three Raab & Böhm Artists appear at Mozartwoche Salzburg 2021
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21.12.2020

Xavier de Maistre at the Mozart Week 2021
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01.12.2020

Xavier de Maistre with a new album
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Repertoire

Concerto Repertoire (Selection)
   
Alwyn „Lyra Angelica“ – Concerto for Harp and String Orchestra
Boieldieu Concerto for Harp and Orchestra, op. 82
Debussy "Deux Danses" for Harp und String Orchestra
Dohnányi Concertino for Harp und Chamber Orchestra, op. 45 
Eötvös Harp-Concerto (23/24 Premiere)
Farkas Concertino for Harp and Orchestra
Ginastera Concerto for Harp and Orchestra, op.25
Glière Concerto for Harp and Orchestra, op. 74
Händel Concerto for Harp (Organ) and Orchestra Bb major op. 4/6 HWV 294
Haydn Concerto for Harp and Orchestra after a Concerto for Cembalo/Piano and Orchestra D major Hob. XVIII:11
  Concerto for Harp and Orchestra after a Concerto for Cembalo/Klavier and Orchestra G major Hob. XVIII:4 
Mozart Concerto for Flute, Harp and Orchestra C major KV 299 (297c)
  Concerto for Harp and Orchestra after the Piano Concerto Eb major KV 449
  Piano Concerto Nr. 19 F major, KV 459
  Piano Concerto C major
Marcello Concerto in d minor for Harp and Strings
Montsalvatge Concert capriccio for Harp and Orchestra
Mosolov Reconstructed Harp Concerto
Parish-Alvars Concerto for Harp and Orchestra, op. 98
  Concertino for Harp and Orchestra, op. 34
Penderecki Concerto for Harp and Orchestra
Pierné Concert piece for Harp and Orchestra, op. 39
Previn Concerto for Harp and Orchestra (only in connection with another harp concert)
Rautavaara Concerto for Harp and Orchestra
Reinecke Concerto for Harp and Orchestra, op. 182
Renié Concerto for Harp and Orchestra
Rodrigo Concierto Serenata for Harp and Orchestra
  Concierto de Aranjuez (Harp version by Composer)
Saariaho Harp Concerto "Trans"
Saint-Saëns Morceau de Concert for Harp and Orchestra, op. 154
Vivaldi Concerto for Harp, Strings and B.c. in G major op. 3 Nr. 3 RV 310 (Arr. Stefan Klieme)
  Concerto for Harp (Lute), 2 Violins and B.c. in D major RV 93 (Arr. Stefan Klieme)
  Concerto for Harp, Strings and B.c. f minor ''The Winter'' RV 297 op. 8/4 (Arr. Stefan Klieme)
  Concerto for Harp, Strings and B.c. in D major op. 3 Nr. 9 RV 230
  Concerto for Harp, Strings and B.c. in G major op. 7 Nr. 2 RV 299 
Williams Suite from the soundtrack of ''E.T.''
  Concerto for Harp and Orchestra ''On Willows and Birches''
   
Recital Programme (Selection)
   
Solo  
Francisque Pavane et Bransles (arr. Marcel Grandjany) –from “Le Trésor d'Orphée”
Dussek Sonata, op.35 No.3
Lecuon Malagena -La Comparsa -Glissando mazurka
Fauré Impromptu, op.86
--  
Britten Suite for harp, Op. 83
Debussy Clair de Lune from Suite Bergamasque
Renie Legende, D'après des elfes de Leconte de Lisle
   
With actor Martina Gedeck-“Night, Dreams, Fantasy...”
Else Lasker-Schüler Wilde Winde
Debussy Arabesque No.1
Edgar Allen Poe le Cœur révélateur
Renié Ballade Fantastique sur le cœur révélateur
Else Lasker-Schüler Ich schlummerte an einem Zauberbrunnen
Leconte de Lisle Les Elfes
Renié Légende sur les Elfes de Leconte de Lisle
Oscar Wilde la Rose et le Rossignol
Liszt le Rossignol
Else Lasker-Schüler Abendzeit
Tarrega Recuerdos de la Alhambra
Joseph von Eichendorff    Mondnacht
Debussy Clair de Lune
   
Flamenco Recital with Lucero Tena
   
Recital with Rolando Villazón