83 Strings

83 Strings – 2 harps – one virtuoso. Ulla van Daelen impresses with her second solo album. The enigmatic title of Ulla van Daelen's new album is already deciphered by looking at the cover. Two harps "come into play" and expand the already wide spectrum of expressive possibilities of a concert harp with numerous other colors. Ulla van Daelen knows how to confidently place the smaller lever harp of Celtic origin (36 strings), with its sound that can be described as "folkloristic", alongside the large concert harp (47 strings) and bring them into direct dialogue in the telling final title "Zweisamkeit". The titles presented are mostly Ulla van Daelen's own compositions - or they are arrangements by her. The stylistic diversity of the titles presented is impressive: from the arabesque-inspired "Oriental Moments", in which the harp also serves as a percussion instrument, to the minuet-like "Perückentanz" to hits like "Tulips from Amsterdam" or the chanson "Für mich soll's rote Rosen regnen". And even "Satchmo" Louis Armstrong would have paid his respects to Ulla's version of "What a Wonderful World". Quotations from many genres skillfully complement each other here to create what one might call the "van Daelen style". Wonderful music, played with virtuosity on 83 harp strings.

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Ulla van Daelen, Harp