A Duel on 53 Strings: Harp meets Guitar

Alexander Boldachev – harpist par excellence and a veritable powerhouse – here joins forces with the YouTube star Alexandr Misko in a concert exhilarating in its uniqueness. Where else could you find Vivaldi alongside Queen? Blessed with a crossover aesthetic, they’ll be mixing and matching classical repertoire with film music and compositions of their own. To mark the end of our concert season, each ticket will entitle our guests to attend a reception in the interval.

Alexander Boldachev, harp

Alexandr Misko, guitar

PROGRAMME

Unique repertoire that unites arrangements of classical pieces, compositions of their own and genre-spanning crossover works

ABOUT THE PROGRAMME

When I think of harps I imagine angels, heaven and paradise; unreal, ethereal fairy-tale worlds; delicate, graceful, elegant femininity; purity and beauty. Magical, floating sounds fill the air. And when I think of guitars I imagine campfires, Nature and simplicity; intimate personal moments and expressions of love, rage and rebellion; freedom, being cool and creative; youth culture, rock stars and stage lights. So we have heavenly romanticism and visions of the afterlife on the one hand, but the earthy romanticism of the campfire and a zest for life on the other. Those are the clichés. And what’s the real beauty of clichés? Disproving them!

We have a perfect opportunity to do this at our concert featuring the harpist Alexander Boldachev and the guitarist Alexandr Misko. They have defied all the clichés to form one of the most original crossover duos on the current international scene. They combine classical virtuosity with contemporary instrumental expressive power. Since their sold-out debut at Carnegie Hall, Boldachev and Misko have developed a unique repertoire that unites arrangements of classical pieces, compositions of their own and genre-spanning crossover works. The duo’s performances have gone viral – including a medley of famous tunes by Hans Zimmer and “Zombie” by The Cranberries – and have garnered over 20 million views on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook. Their own titles, such as “Crossover” and “Better Fields”, have in turn inspired cover versions from many other artists. They’ve performed together in the Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland, Canada and elsewhere, and have given guest appearances at festivals for both classical and popular music.

In Andermatt, Misko and Boldachev will be performing solo pieces for harp and guitar before coming together as a duet. Contrary to what the title of their concert might suggest – “A duel on 53 strings”, it naturally isn’t (just) going to be some kind of tense showdown, but (also) a harmonious collaboration. Anything else would be unfair, since Alexander Boldachev has 47 strings on his harp, whereas Alexandr Misko as the guitarist has to make do with only six …