Image - Marco Borggreve
Anneleen Lenaerts is one of the major names in the harp world today. A laureate of numerous major international competitions, she truly is at the forefront of a sparkling generation of harpists.
Imagine my delight when I saw she was coming to the RNCM in Manchester to coach Eira Lynn Jones’ Young Harps project, give a public masterclass and recital, and finally teach a class. I haven’t heard Anneleen play in public for at least 10 years. Dark, demure and petite, she’s still the unassuming, gentle, warm person she was back then. Her prestigious title, Principal Harp of the Vienna Philharmonic hasn’t gone to her head - gracious is a great word to describe her.
She delivered a relaxed informative masterclass with ease and generousity, offering valuable pearls of advice. I can’t wait to massage my strings, words she spoke to all 3 students who were fortunate to work with her.
When improvement is noticeable to an audience, the teacher has truly done her job, and the change in each student’s playing was evident in a remarkably short space of time.
After over 2 hours’ coaching, Anneleen went on to play 4 demanding solo pieces on an unfamiliar harp. I’ve had a lot of lessons on that harp, and like countless other RNCM graduates from Eira’s firmly established department, I’ve spent hours sweating blood, and the odd tear or two, over that instrument. Believe me - it’s a real challenge to make it sound well. A conservatoire war horse having survived thousands of hours of relentless rigorous plucking and pedalling, Anneleen coaxed and cajoled from it a surprising spectrum of soundscapes.
Her wisely chosen warm up piece was Fauré’s Impromptu, which elevated her to her comfort zone. She breezed her way through a juicy programme, bringing frissons of delight to an audience entranced by her musicality and the intricate refinement in her playing. The piece that stood out for me was Joseph Jongen’s Valse, a work that isn’t performed very often, at least I wouldn’t describe it as a stalwart of the harp repertoire. It really was an inspiring colourful performance of a well written work by the Belgian composer. Anneleen is of Belgian origin, which might explain her natural affinity with Jongen.
Anneleen is a prime example of what’s expected of a professional harpist at the apex of their career. She’s an exemplary role model. A tireless traveller, she had just come over to the UK from the States, and I’ve seen on social media that she was in France following her visit to Manchester. She’s also recently released a CD of music by Nino Rota, including some heart wrenching music from the classic film, The Godfather.
I get the feeling Anneleen will waltz onwards to become one of the godmothers of the harp world. Catch her performing in public if you can. And you can check out her musical activities and her whereabouts here:
