Nicole Müller - In A Different Light

Nicole Müller is a passionate harp virtuoso with an enormous flair for the finest nuances of color, for foot-tapping rhythms and musical expression.

She recorded her first solo CD in 2013, featuring baroque, romantic and impressionist music. Her new Christmas CD, a collection of her own arrangements, was the product of a collaboration with the jazz harpist Deborah Henson-Conant. Nicole Müller’s arrangements are sensitive, imaginative and virtuosic. She is able to create an atmospheric blend of classical structure and technique with the swinging rhythms and rich harmonies from jazz, and thus has developed a captivating musical language. 

The CD begins in meditative and gentle mode with “O Holy Night.” The jazzy-poignant Christmas classic “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas“ is followed by a convincing rendition of the slightly oriental “We Three Kings,” with an interplay of classic arpeggios and swinging grooves. The CD continues with a highlight of the album, the upbeat “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town”in a bluesy, cool-hip arrangement. Guest performer Marco Liechti, cajon,delivers some rhythmic drive in the English punk classic “Fairytale of New York,” followed by “Morrison’s Jig” and then “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen“ in Latin style. The meditative mood returns in the wonderfully relaxed version of “ Maria durch ein’ Dornwald ging.” Here, Müller reveals her fine feeling for quiet grooves and melodic lines. The only classical piece, “Pan et les oiseaux,” serves as a superb conclusion to the CD, a work with heart-rendingly beautiful melodies.