A native of England, Elias Parish Alvars became established as a fully-fledged European artist. He travelled extensively, working alongside Carl Czerny and gained the esteem of Mendelssohn and Berlioz, who declared that ‘this man is a magician’, with a ‘passionate impulse to express the music of another world’. Composed in a Romantic style, Parish Alvars’ fantasias and refined elaborations on themes by Bellini explore every aspect of the harp’s technical and expressive qualities, from spectacular virtuosity to evocative and transparent effects that were revolutionary in their time.

‘Parish Alvars’s music, which today, probably, is only known to harpists, was once very appreciated and in his performances he must have undoubtedly fascinated the public. There is not only the charismatic effect that Parish Alvars certainly had on his audiences, but also his excellent talent, as a composer and interpreter. His fame equalled that of the great pianists-composers that were hailed in theatres all over the world. Alvars composed a great number of harp pieces, despite his rather early demise. Part of them are paraphrases of operas, but there are also fantasias and romances without words. His style imitates the new virtuoso piano technique but with instrumental effects that are truly new for the harp. I conclude with a phrase Berlioz pronounced after hearing him in concert in Dresden: “This man is the Liszt of the harp. One cannot imagine all the delicate and powerful effects, his extraordinary touch and the unusual sounds he can produce.”’ – Paola Perrucci