Henriette Renié and Claire-Mélanie Sinnhuber by Ensemble Des Équilibres

| April 19, 2026 | RESMUSICA |

Two new works (2024) by Franco-Swiss composer Claire-Mélanie Sinnhuber sit alongside those of harpist and composer Henriette Renié in this new recording by Ensemble Des Équilibres, centred on the trio with harp.

Pursuing a commissioning policy focused on today’s women composers and performing works by long-forgotten female musicians, in a spirit of sharing and discovery: this is the artistic project driving Ensemble Des Équilibres, led by its founder, violinist Agnès Pyka. Founded in 2006, the flexible ensemble is now active on the international stage.

By Henriette Renié (1875–1956), harpist, composer and pedagogue who trained from an early age at the Paris Conservatoire, the Trio for violin, cello and harp (1910) is a large-scale four-movement work whose high artistic demands place it in the French lineage of Fauré, Saint-Saëns and Chausson: rich polyphony, fluid lines generously unfolded, and lyricism driven toward expressive heights. The Allegro risoluto establishes a perfect balance between the instruments and gives pride of place to the melodic line as it moves from one part to another. Marked by a gentle melancholy, the Andante is undoubtedly the emotional peak of the work, allowing the three instruments to sing within transparent textures, refined writing and deep expressivity. Marcel Cara’s harp, taking the place of the piano, intertwines with the violin and cello parts (Agnès Pyka and Jordan Costard), whose warm tone and controlled momentum prove especially compelling.

A step into nature and its “irrepressible vital force” comes with Claire-Mélanie Sinnhuber, for whom Ensemble Des Équilibres commissioned new works. The titles Renouée des oiseaux and Héliotrope refer to flower names. In Renouée des oiseaux, the three instruments operate in close complementarity, sustaining an obstinate motion of looping patterns that constantly shift in shape, occasionally allowing one of the bowed strings to break away into independence. In Héliotrope, plucking and bowing, points and lines generate gestures of a “choreography” driven to the exhaustion of its process: the writing is tightly controlled, playful yet highly refined, with the three performers finely rendering its shifting, colourful constellation.

The Andante religioso for violin and harp (1895) is a standalone movement in Henriette Renié’s catalogue, perhaps the surviving fragment of a lost sonata. Agnès Pyka’s poised violin line unfolds freely above the harp accompaniment, which echoes it in response. Brief yet intense, this beautiful page brings the recording to a close.

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