In the heaven that is music, the foremost angel of the harp is Claudia Antonelli. Claudia is featured on this Eroica CD, along with virtuoso violinist Alberto Ambrosini. The time span is 1752 to 1890. The music is Italian, Italian, Italian. This unique collection of harp music focuses on the works of Italian composers from around the turn of the nineteenth century. It opens with music by Clementi, Viotti and Pollini, a pupil of Mozart, who works all share a refined and graceful melodious quality. The second half concentrates on the operatic composers of the bel canto school. The elegant melodies and melismatic vocal display, characteristic of Rossini and Donizetti, are apparent in their works for the harp. The program closes with two fantasies on music from Bellini's operas: I Capaletti e Montecchi, and the famous Costa Diva from Norma. Claudia Antonelli Considered one of the most distinguished and important people in the Harp World, Claudia Antonelli joins a list of few world renowned harpists including former Italian colleagues, Alberto Salvi (1893- 1983) and Clelia Gatti - Aldovani (1901-1989). Born in Rome, Italy, Ms. Antonelli studied at the famous Accademia Santa Cecelia, participated in master classes with world acclaimed harp virtuosos and teachers, Pierre Jamet, Paris, and Susanna Mildonian at the Conservatory of Music in Brussels. She is the first place winner of the Ottorino Respighi Award and the International Harp Competition, among several others. Ms Antonelli has performed as soloist in all major concert halls worldwide such as Carnegie Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Konzertgebow, Wienerkonzerthaus, Musikhalle and Beethovenhalle, to name a few. She has performed extensively in the United States, Canada. Europe, South American, Australia, and Asia. Her solo Italian recitals are often heard at S. Cecilia in Rome, La Scala, Spoleto Festival, Biennale Venezia and Accademia Chigiana. As a concert soloist with leading symphonies Ms Antonelli has performed with conductors, Igor Markevitch, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Eduardo Mata, Peter Maag and Hans Graf; and with instrumentalist such as Jean-Pierre Rampal, Severino Gazzeloni, Wolfgang Schulz, Andras Adorjan, Dino Asciolla, Garth Knox, Bruno Ciuranna and Vladimir Mendelsohn, to name a few. Many well known contemporary Italian composers have dedicated some of their works to her such as Petrassi, Donatoni, Bussotti, Sciarrino, Pennisi, Mortari, Bortoletti, Testi, Ugoletti, Renosto, Vandor, Mirigliano, Langana amd De Rossi Re, with Ms Antonelli performing the world premiere works. Presently Ms Antonelli teaches master classes at S. Cecilia in Rome, Italy. She has an extensive discography, and records on the Arts and Naxos label.