Album description:

Marleen de Bakker releases a very personal portrait with her solo album Mena, featuring a widely chosen selection of music specifically for the harp. Marleen is called Mena by only her family and closest friends. The intimacy of this album is reflected by this pet name: the programme contains only compositions very close to Marleen’s own nature.

These include pieces she played from a very young age: including Händel’s Tema con Variazoni and famous works such as Benjamin Britten’s Suite for Harp opus 83 and Henriette Renié’s Contemplation. The album also includes new music written especially for her: the meditative Blue by Anne-Maartje Lemereis and the spectacular The Story of the Dragonfly by Rieteke Hölscher.

Mena is a colourful and sparkling album performed by a top young harpist. The practised listener will hear Marleen’s vast orchestral experience reflected in her references to other orchestral instruments, the harp lover-to-be will enjoy Marleen’s sonorous, smooth storytelling power on the instrument.

Physical- and digital album release: 4 April 2025

Available as a physical copy at e.g.
bol.com
PIAS webstore

Click here for booklet

Promo video: