French Baroque Music

[Leo K.]

Wow! I'm flabbergasted over Lully's music, especially his opera. The contrast between early French opera and Italian operia seria is fascinating. It's going to be a French baroque year!

I need more!

[The new erato]

Wow! I'm flabbergasted over Lully's music, especially his opera. The contrast between early French opera and Italian operia seria is fascinating. It's going to be a French baroque year!

I need more!

Two great recordings. I have a very sweet spot for Lully. See if you can dig up Minkowski's Acis e Galate on Archiv and the other Stubbs disc on cpo, too. There's a Hugo Reyne box set of 5 operas as well (on Accent?); used to be cheaply available, and Niquets Proserpine on Glossa is very worthwhile also.

[The new erato]

And how could I forget this great recording:

[asin]B004LDA60G[/asin]

Now, run!

[Drasko]

There's a Hugo Reyne box set of 5 operas as well (on Accent?); used to be cheaply available

Accord (4 works - 2 operas strictly speaking), not so cheap anymore but still quite affordable at about 40 euros, I believe.

It is excellent time for discovering Lully, as with Bellerophon all of his operas had been recorded. Some of the best are out of the print at the moment unfortunately (Roland and Herreweghe's Armide, also Phaeton, Alceste), but there is still huge wealth to explore.

[Leo K.]

Thanks Erato and Drasko for the Lully recommends! I have aquired Thesee and will have my first listen this afternoon 

[Leo K.]

I'd like to mention this amazing 2 disk set, which I bought on iTunes (the recording appears unavailable on US Amazon).

I've never heard of Louis-Claude Daquin (1694-1772), but his music is Rococco at it's best! The recording is the complete works for keyboard. The fourth suite includes a divertissement entitled "Les Plaisirs de la chasse" and the keyboard is accompanied by chamber instruments. Some of the organ Noels include orchestral accompaniment. The harpsichord suites are dreamy and full of charm, the organ works are incredible in virtuosity and beauty. Olivier Baumont has absolutely wonderful technique on the keyboard. I see why he is so highly praised around these parts.

A search in this board shows Daquin is mentioned by Que in an organ masters thread. Perhaps others have heard the above recording. Highly recommended if you have an iTunes gift card to use (like I did) or are serious about the smaller masters of the French harpsichord school!

[Geo Dude]

Discobole:  Welcome to the forum and thank you for that post.

[Leo K.]

Discobole:  Welcome to the forum and thank you for that post.

I second that...and welcome Discobole!

I agree on Sophie Watillon's Marais recording, a truly stunning recording. I had not heard she has passed prematurely. Very sad to hear.

[Mandryka]

- For Louis Couperin, Leonhardt has already been discussed in this thread. My favorite CD is the following, one of his most recent (and last ones). The Passacaille is one absolute moment of grace in music. Then I would recommend Skip Sempé's latest CD on L.C., on alpha too.

Welcome Discobole.

Your comment made me play the Sempe's CD today. There's  a lovely thing called "Prélude à l'imitation de M. Froberger" which actually really got under my skin. A lovely performance of some very haunting and beautiful  music.

Anyway, I enjoyed the Sempe CD a lot -- more that I'd expected to. Apart from his work on transferring Landowska's recordings,  I only knew him before from the Scarlatti  CD (the one called Duende) , and a CD of Bach's music, But I enjoyed that Couperin CD rather more than either of those, so thanks for drawing my attention to it.

[Leo K.]

Starting on Lully's Thesee (on CPO) this afternoon. I continue to be impressed with Lully.



[asin]B000Q7ZKHK[/asin]

[Leo K.]

I also want to highlight this magnificant recording:

[asin]B002UZCK06[/asin]

Harpsichord suites of Charles Noblet (1715-1759) played by Charlotte Mattox Moersch (harpsichord after Nicholas Blanchet, Paris ca.1720 by Willard Martin).

[Mandryka]

Les Demoiselles de Saint Cyr have made a very good record of Francois Couperin's Leçons de ténèbres which I've been enjoying. One thing they do very well is make the words sound meaningful: they're good with words. The Hebrew letters are sung with great purity -- but lots of people do that bit well. These demoiselles do a particularly good job in the texts from Jeremiah.

Another one I've liked a lot is an ancient one (from the 30s) with Hugues Cuénod -- just Leçon III. (he made a later recording which I've never gotten into.)  Cuénod's pre war record had a big impact on Stravinsky, and in fact prompted him to write a cantata for him.

Anyway I doubt anyone will regret checking out the Demoiselles singing Couperin. Or indeed Cuénod's pre war one.

[Mandryka]

People who like Francois Couperin's harpsichord music -- have you tried Frédérick Haas's recordings? I found them on spotify and, quite frankly, they have been a major revelation. One reason is that he uses a wonderful sounding instrument with very full sound  and with a very firm bass. The result is that the lower voices become much more clear than normal and -- pow! you can hear FC's counterpoint -- lines of music weaving around each other causing incredible dissonances and rhythmic complexities. I really didn't know that FC's music is as good as this.

His website describes the instrument, a Hemsch of 1751. I'm tempted to get his Goldbergs, which are played on the same harpsichord.

In some ways he reminds me of Verlet, but I only know her FC from a recording of selections called "Les Barricades Mystérieuses" But I notice that more of her FC records are due to be republished next month through a label called Pid. I believe the 2 CD set will include Ordres 7, 8, 25, 26 and 27 (it's listed for pre-order on amazon)

[Drasko]

Les Demoiselles de Saint Cyr have made a very good record of Francois Couperin's Leçons de ténèbres which I've been enjoying.

If you like Les Demoiselles de Saint Cyr they have recorded beautiful disc of Nicolas Clerambault's chants and motets for Virgin.

[milk]

People who like Francois Couperin's harpsichord music -- have you tried Frédérick Haas's recordings? I found them on spotify and, quite frankly, they have been a major revelation. One reason is that he uses a wonderful sounding instrument with very full sound  and with a very firm bass. The result is that the lower voices become much more clear than normal and -- pow! you can hear FC's counterpoint -- lines of music weaving around each other causing incredible dissonances and rhythmic complexities. I really didn't know that FC's music is as good as this.

His website describes the instrument, a Hemsch of 1751. I'm tempted to get his Goldbergs, which are played on the same harpsichord.

In some ways he reminds me of Verlet, but I only know her FC from a recording of selections called "Les Barricades Mystérieuses" But I notice that more of her FC records are due to be republished next month through a label called Pid. I believe the 2 CD set will include Ordres 7, 8, 25, 26 and 27 (it's listed for pre-order on amazon)

Thanks for your post. After reading it, I realized I had it but hadn't listened to it. Now I'm doing so. Yes, I'm moved by his performance. And the instrument sounds beautiful.

[Leo K.]

People who like Francois Couperin's harpsichord music -- have you tried Frédérick Haas's recordings? I found them on spotify and, quite frankly, they have been a major revelation. One reason is that he uses a wonderful sounding instrument with very full sound  and with a very firm bass. The result is that the lower voices become much more clear than normal and -- pow! you can hear FC's counterpoint -- lines of music weaving around each other causing incredible dissonances and rhythmic complexities. I really didn't know that FC's music is as good as this.

His website describes the instrument, a Hemsch of 1751. I'm tempted to get his Goldbergs, which are played on the same harpsichord.

In some ways he reminds me of Verlet, but I only know her FC from a recording of selections called "Les Barricades Mystérieuses" But I notice that more of her FC records are due to be republished next month through a label called Pid. I believe the 2 CD set will include Ordres 7, 8, 25, 26 and 27 (it's listed for pre-order on amazon)

I also thank you for your post, this is a Couperin recording I didn't know about. I will check this out!

[Discobole]

People who like Francois Couperin's harpsichord music -- have you tried Frédérick Haas's recordings? I found them on spotify and, quite frankly, they have been a major revelation. One reason is that he uses a wonderful sounding instrument with very full sound  and with a very firm bass. The result is that the lower voices become much more clear than normal and -- pow! you can hear FC's counterpoint -- lines of music weaving around each other causing incredible dissonances and rhythmic complexities. I really didn't know that FC's music is as good as this.

His website describes the instrument, a Hemsch of 1751. I'm tempted to get his Goldbergs, which are played on the same harpsichord.

In some ways he reminds me of Verlet, but I only know her FC from a recording of selections called "Les Barricades Mystérieuses" But I notice that more of her FC records are due to be republished next month through a label called Pid. I believe the 2 CD set will include Ordres 7, 8, 25, 26 and 27 (it's listed for pre-order on amazon)

Yes, this instrument is THE Hemsch 1751 Frédérick Haas owns. Actually, his recordings are more interesting for this instrument than for Haas"s playing.
This harpsichord is a wonder. Its very particular sound is perfect for French music and comes from a pinch point situated unusually far. Hence this very soft and rich sonority.

You can find the same harpsichord played by Leonhardt on his very last CD (Forqueray) made available online, and by Frisch on her Rameau album. These 2 albums are actually better recorded than the ones by Haas.
Haas plays the Hemsch 1751 on his new Goldbergs too.

[Mandryka]

The Frisch Rameau CD is also on spotify so it's easy for me to listen to it : thanks for mentioning it. I have Leonhardt's Forqueray's CD.

Just  listening to Haas's Couperin has made me very interested in FC, and I have people coming at me left right and centre saying that I must, absolutely must,  listen to Noelle Spieth's Couperin CDs. But that's impossible -- as far as I can see they are only reasonably available in the UK through an amazon download, which I don't like. French people can download at a high quality through qobuz, but not UK people. Anyway, if anyone sees a way to get good quality files in the UK please let me know.

Has anyone heard Haas's Goldbergs CD?

[Mandryka]

Yes, this instrument is THE Hemsch 1751 Frédérick Haas owns. Actually, his recordings are more interesting for this instrument than for Haas"s playing.
This harpsichord is a wonder. Its very particular sound is perfect for French music and comes from a pinch point situated unusually far. Hence this very soft and rich sonority.

You can find the same harpsichord played by Leonhardt on his very last CD (Forqueray) made available online, and by Frisch on her Rameau album. These 2 albums are actually better recorded than the ones by Haas.
Haas plays the Hemsch 1751 on his new Goldbergs too.

Thanks for mentioning Frisch's Rameau CD. I've listened to it a couple of times and I think it's well worth hearing. What do you think of the way she plays L'enharmonique -- so slowly and introspectively?  At first I thought that it was even slower than Sokolov takes it -- but I'm not sure. For me it's extremely beautiful, maybe too beautiful.

[The new erato]

For Lullistas out there, I strongly recommend this set:

[asin]B005DUE3MS[/asin]