This CD project explores the importance of Henriette Renié for the harp world and focuses on her compositional work to show how she explored and overcame the limits of the harp. By using playing techniques that are only possible on the harp, she shows the diversity but also the uniqueness of the instrument. 

Throughout history, many female composers received no recognition for their compositions and were not allowed to claim ownership. It is still uncertain whether some works attributed to male composers were not in fact written by their wives or sisters. Sophia Dussek (1775-1831) or Fanny Mendelssohn (1805-1847) are two of the best-known examples of what may be a much larger problem. 

Renié's story differs in many ways from that of other women composers: She never married, had no children and was the only woman in her composition class. Yet, unusually for a woman, her compositions and arrangements bore her name and she gained recognition during her lifetime, performing her compositions in numerous venues. Yet, despite this success, many of her manuscripts have disappeared, gone out of print or never been found in the first place. 

The idea for this project began when I came across works such as Deux Pièces Symphoniques, which have never been recorded before; only a single recording by Renié herself exists, which I only discovered later in my research. It would be a tragic loss for the music world if such out-of-print compositions were to be forgotten: that is why I wanted to record them on this CD.

 

In addition, the project also includes better-known works by Renié, which I have chosen to highlight other aspects of her creative process: Danse des Lutins shows her virtuoso side, while Pièce Symphonique is characterised by yearning melodic arches.
The name of the project, "Jamais renier Renié", embodies (besides the play on words) this mission.

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