What a wonderful journey it’s been for Belgian harpist Anneleen Lenaerts. At the age of 24, she won the job of Principal Harpist for the Vienna Philharmonic. Since then, she’s also joined the faculty at the Maastricht Conservatory. Vienna Stories, Lenaerts’ newest release, is her celebration of the City of Dreams, the orchestra, and the many maestros she has had the pleasure to work with. The CD is filled with favorites by Dvorak, Smetana, Wagner, and others including, of course, Johann Strauss, Jr. One great operatic composer didn’t make the roster: Puccini. So Lenaerts made up for it by composing a fantasy on La Bohème.
“One couldn’t wish,” says Lenaerts, “for a better education than working with this orchestra, being fully absorbed in its musical knowledge and able to blend into its unique sound.” For our first CD Spotlight of 2022, we happily hear Anneleen Lenaerts step out from the orchestra and tell her own story.
