John Thomas: Complete Duos for Harp and Piano, Volume Five
The Welshman John Thomas (1826–1913), harpist to Queen Victoria, wrote prolifically for his own instrument, both for solo harp and for duos of two harps or harp and piano – a combination where the different sounds of the two instruments enhance the clarity of the texture. Thomas’ original works use the elegant Romantic style of his own day, but he often drew on Welsh folksong for his inspiration and left a generous legacy of transcriptions, especially of operatic favourites. Although some of his music was intended for the Victorian drawing room, other pieces require a virtuoso technique – and all of it has a thoroughly engaging melodic appeal. This fifth album of his duets for harp and piano ends a series that has seen the revival of music unheard for over a century and a half.
Duo Praxedis
Praxedis Hug-Rütti, harp
Praxedis Geneviève Hug, piano
Listen To This Recording:
Felix Mendelssohn arr. John Thomas
- Wedding March from A Midsummer Night’s Dream (5:24)
Chars Gounod arr. John Thomas
- Valse de ‘Faust’ (5:13)
Gaetano Donizetti arr. John Thomas
- Duet on Melodies from ‘La Favorite’ (1873) (9:55)
John Thomas
- March of the Men of Glamorgan (1879) (3:32)
- Olivia. Valse (1859) (4:24)
Alberto Randegger arr. John Thomas
- Ben è ridicolo. Canzone (1868) (11:09)
Vincenzo Bellini arr. John Thomas
- Duet on Melodies from ‘La Sonnambula’ (1868) (11:09)
John Thomas
- The Bride of Neath Valley: Welsh Dance Music (1866) (3:14)
- Llewelyn: Bridal March (1863) (4:53)
- Bardic Fantasia. Duet on Subjects from ‘Llewelyn’ (1863, arr. 1874) (9:36)
First Recordings
American Record Guide :
‘The excellent Duo Praxedis is a Swiss mother-daughter ensemble: harpist Praxedis Hug-Rutti and pianist Praxedis Genevieve Hug. Kudos to the artists and engineers for excellent balance between 2 instruments that might seem closely related (both have vibrating strings) but whose tone production (plucked vs struck) and volume differ markedly.’
—Barry Kilpatrick, American Record Guide, April 2025