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About
Xavier de Maistre belongs to an elite category of soloists who are redefining what is possible with their instrument.Aside from commissions from composers such as Kaija Saariaho, he performs works like Smetana’s “Ma Vlast" with breathtaking precision, presenting masterful arrangements of works that are usually played by an entire orchestra. The interpretation of these works, that few harpists before him have even considered playing, has contributed to his reputation as one of the most creative and extraordinary musicians of his generation.
Xavier de Maistre has appeared with major orchestras under the direction of such eminent conductors as Bertrand de Billy, Daniele Gatti, Kristjan Järvi, Philippe Jordan, Riccardo Muti, Andrés Orozco-Estrada, André Previn, Simon Rattle, Heinrich Schiff and Gilbert Varga.
He performs at many of Europe’s leading festivals, including Schleswig-Holstein, Salzburg, Rheingau, Vienna and Verbier, Budapest Spring and Wurzburg Mozart Festival. He collaborates with such chamber music partners as Diana Damrau, Mojca Erdmann, Daniel Müller-Schott, Baiba Skride, Arabella Steinbacher and Magali Mosnier.
Following a season as resident artist with the WDR Sinfonieorchester, de Maistre’s 2015/16 season opens with the Chicago Symphony under Riccardo Muti. In Europe he plays with the Orchestre de Paris at their new Philharmonie hall, Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Tampere Philharmonic, Tonküstler-Orchester Niederösterreich, Orquesta Nacional de España and others.
Further afield, concerts in Asia and Arabia will see him with Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra and Qatar Philharmonic. He gives solo recitals in such centres as Düsseldorf, Stuttgart, Geneva, Monaco, Cardiff, Tokyo and Beirut.
Xavier de Maistre has an exclusive recording contract with Sony Music. Releases have included music by Haydn, Rodrigo, Ginastera and Debussy – the latter for which he was awarded the Echo Klassik Award 2009 as “Instrumentalist of the Year”.
In 2012 “Notte Veneziana”, a recording of baroque concertos with the Ensemble l’arte del mondo, was released and entered the top ten in the classical music charts. Most recent releases include a DVD with Diana Damrau and a CD recording of Mozart piano concertos arranged for harp, with Mozarteum Salzburg and conductor Ivor Bolton. In spring 2015, “Moldau – The Romantic Album” was released, a solo recital CD featuring Slavonic repertoire, which received high critical acclaim.
Xavier de Maistre was born in Toulon and began studying harp aged nine. His studies culminated in Paris with Catherine Michel and Jacqueline Borot. In 1998 he was awarded the first prize at the International Harp Competition in Bloomington, Indiana.
He immediately became the first French musician to join the ranks of the prestigious Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra – a position which he left in summer 2010. Since 2001 Xavier de Maistre has taught at the Hamburg Academy of Music. He also gives regular master classes at New York’s Juilliard School of Music, Tokyo’s Toho University and London’s Trinity College of Music. Xavier de Maistre plays a Lyon & Healy harp.
