French Baroque Music

[Cosi bel do]

If it's the slow tempos which people are attracted to, then they may enjoy Yannick le Gaillard. In Duphly I mean.

I didn't remember at all what Le Gaillard sounded like. So, I listened to a Youtube video featuring Rameau, Couperin and Duphly's La Forqueray. His phrasing is much more satisfying than Brosse's. But there are many small imperfections. And the ornamentation in Rameau is uninspired and quite ridiculous actually. Still, the Duphly is quite pleasing actually, not the best, but better than many others.

[Mandryka]

Good paper on Style brisé here

https://www.academia.edu/7011303/Style_bris%C3%A9_Style_luth%C3%A9_and_the_Choses_luth%C3%A9es

[Mandryka]

Not much remains of music by Jacques Hardel, a disciple of D'Anglebert, but the suite in D minor is a top quality piece of music, and it has been recorded several times - Jane Chapman, Byron Schenkman and Linda Burman Hall with Catherin Liddel. There may well be others.

The latter pair up harpsichord and lute, the result is a bit of colourful sensuality, a bit of luxe, calm et volupté which reminds me more of high French classisism, Rameau and François Couperin. Somehow  Chapman makes the music sound full of sweet  poetry and earlier, I can hear an affinity to Gibbons, for example. Her ability to move the music forward, and to tell a good story, are really impressive. Shenkman is the most austere, the toughest. No sweet poetry or sensuality for him.

The whole thing raises questions about how to play D'Anglebert, Chambonnières, Louis Couperin, Froberger etc - just how lyrical, colourful and sensual to make the music.

The pairing up of harpsichord and lute is a ravishing sound, you have to admit that even if you think the sensual approach is a bit kitsch. Something similar happens in Sempé's Chambonnières CD. I hope I don't sound too puritan.

Jane Chapman's ideas are interesting, and quite disorientating in a good way - she makes you think. I recommend everything that this harpsichordist has done, she's got some convincing new ideas about how to play early French music.

[Mandryka]

A brief mention in the listening thread of Noëlle Spieth's recording of Rameau's 1741 transcriptions of his own Pièces en concerts set me off on a search for other recordings. There haven't been many, this is what I've managed to find so far:

1. The aforementioned Noëlle Spieth. As far as I can see she's the only one to have recorded the lot.
2. Kenneth Gilbert recorded 5 of them.
3. Scott Ross recorded some of them in his debut recording of Rameau. There's some on his live recording from Saint Guihem le Desert.
4. Trevor Pinnock recorded four of them.
5. Bertrand Cuiller included three of them in Rameau selection

There are odd things based on the Picèces en concerts  by Sempe and Fortin, and Sempe and Hantai, but I don't think these are by Rameau himself. So they don't count.

Reviewing these wonderful transcriptions has been a pleasure. A particular pleasure to discover the ones from Trevor Pinnock. But the greatest treat was from finding the transcriptions in Kenneth Gilbert's Rameau, which in some pieces (L'indiscrète for example, and Le Livri) show him at his imaginative and inspired and bold best.

Please say if you know of other recordings. Has anyone got Mahan Esfahani's Rameau?

[Florestan]

Yesterday I´ve been listening to Jean Marie Leclair´s Violin Concertos op. 10 while driving for 2 hours. I would not be surprised if I drived faster than usual. Raw energy and unbound passion is Leclair´s middle name. 

[Mandryka]

No fear.  His recordings served me well in Duphly and Balbastre.
Sure, he is neither technically nor intellectually a high flyer like Rousset et al. But not as self imposing either!
Good, genuin, solid and idiomatically French playing. But, fom what I've heard he is rather unimaginative at the organ, well, so be it. 

Q

When you said that, que, what organ pieces were you talking about? I'm rather enjoying his recording of Lebègue Bk 1, which I appreciate for the accuracy and focus and colour and contrast.

I haven't checked his Duphly yet.

[Mandryka]

A new release by Ludger Rémy, dominated by some D minor music by Louis Couperin and D'Anglebert's 2nd G minor suite. I've only had a chance to listen to the D'Anglebert and I was struck by the complete independence of the voices. This is D'Anglebert à la Elliott Carter. Is that a problem?

[HIPster]

I have been playing this recording quite a lot lately ~
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Thanks to Gordo for the recommendation!

A very coherent and compelling program on this release.  Recommended.

[Que]

Harmonia Mundi has reissued some very interesting French Baroque recordings by William Christie and his Les Arts Florissants! 

new erato pointed out a production issue with the Moulinié, which is being resolved by HM.
So perhaps wait a little before purchasing that one....

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[Que]

Some Charpentier suggestions - for HIPster, and anyone else interested.

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A box set with individual original issues with full liner notes etc - a steal!
See my earlier comments HERE.

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I'd wish I had more to recommend, but my Charpentier collection is far from completion....

Q

[Drasko]

I'd wish I had more to recommend, but my Charpentier collection is far from completion....

Q

Médée is essential. Possibly his greatest work, secular definitely.

There are two recordings by Christie, both good but second one with Lorraine Hunt is probably preferable, and easier to find.

And try to get the original release, the reissue doesn't come with libretto, but has the same album art so it can get confusing online.

[Que]

Médée is essential. Possibly his greatest work, secular definitely.

There are two recordings by Christie, both good but second one with Lorraine Hunt is probably preferable, and easier to find.

And try to get the original release, the reissue doesn't come with libretto, but has the same album art so it can get confusing online.

Medée is actually on the very top of my shopping list....thanks so much for the very helpful advice! 

Q

[HIPster]

Thank you very much Que and Drasko!   

I'm currently listening to this beautiful Lully recording ~

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[Mandryka]

On Amazon's UK site there are some pretty informed reviews of Francesco Cera's D'Anglebert, which prompted me to listen to it again.

His harpsichord style is too uniform. There just is not enough variety of touch, colour and texture. But where he is outstanding is in feeling - the emotional life of the music,  particularly in the melancholy and noble allemandes and sarabandes.

There is no satisfying complete D'Anglebert. Rousset is shallow emotionally, Frisch is shallow and boring, Willi is great, but not a deep poet. Scott Ross seems just inconsistent - inspired  in the first suite but less so elsewhere.

The bar has been set very high by single discs, which show that this is intersting music - especially Frederick Haas's and Arthur Haas (presumably no relation!)

[Drasko]

There is no satisfying complete D'Anglebert.

You could be onto something there. I have Rousset and Frisch and music (or their interpretation possibly) never really made much of an impression. I'll try to give them few more spins.

[Mandryka]

You could be onto something there. I have Rousset and Frisch and music (or their interpretation possibly) never really made much of an impression. I'll try to give them few more spins.

Or better, try one of these, the one by Frederick contains more suites, the one by Arthur contains one suite and some transcriptions

   

[prémont]

There is no satisfying complete D'Anglebert. Rousset is shallow emotionally, Frisch is shallow and boring, Willi is great, but not a deep poet. Scott Ross seems just inconsistent - inspired  in the first suite but less so elsewhere.

The bar has been set very high by single discs, which show that this is intersting music - especially Frederick Haas's and Arthur Haas (presumably no relation!)

You have got a point there.

I own some D'Angelbert recordings (Cera, Ross, Willi, Knox, Stewart, Erdas, Tramier, having parted with Farr). Of these Stewart and Erdas appeal the most to me. On your recommendation I have now ordered the Frederick Haas. 

[Mandryka]

Let me draw the attention of the club mordus de d'Anglebert to this recording which I discovered today, released at the end of last year, played on a mean-tone tuned (   - though I didn't notice until  I read it on the cover!) modern harpsichord based on an old one by Blanchet. It appears to have the requisite combination of melancholy in the allemandes and sarabandes, pervasive nobility, a winning way with that ubiquitous ornamentation and some variety of texture and touch.

I also listened to some of Laurent Stewwart's CD but I thought it was just a bit too vulgar -- the way he milks all the foot tapping tunes.

[prémont]

Let me draw the attention of the club mordus de d'Anglebert to this recording which I discovered today, released at the end of last year, played on a mean-tone tuned (   - though I didn't notice until  I read it on the cover!) modern harpsichord based on an old one by Blanchet. It appears to have the requisite combination of melancholy in the allemandes and sarabandes, pervasive nobility, a winning way with that ubiquitous ornamentation and some variety of texture and touch.

She [Mattax] is on my radar too, and now even more.

I also listened to some of Laurent Stewwart's CD but I thought it was just a bit too vulgar -- the way he milks all the foot tapping tunes.

I never thought of his interpretation as being vulgar.

[Mandryka]

I've been listening to Louis Couperin's F minor Pavanne. I heard

Moroney
Jane Chapman
Leonhardt (Alpha)
Leonhardt (DHM)
Skip Sempe
Asperen (EMI)
Richard Egarr
Rousset
Charivari Agreable
Kenneth Gilbert

Are there any others?

Rousset plays it like an aria from a tragic opera, there were times when he made time stand still.

Leonhardt (DHM) is like a long meditation on deep and abstract things.

Jane Chapman and Kenneth Gilbert both play it in a rather matter of fact way. They reminded me of Gulda's Beethoven.

Asperen (EMI) is mesmeric because he projects a sense of someone very intensely determined to get to the bottom of the music. Did he record it a second time?

Leonhardt (Alpha) is nonchalant and he plays with a great sense of swing. Colourful and full of amazing textures and voicings.

Richard Egarr made me appreciate the contrapuntal ingenuity of the music.

Moroney pounds his way through the music gracelessly.

By this time I'd had quite enough of the music for one day, so Skip Sempe may have been under-appreciated.

Charivari Agreable  have transposed  it for a little band of viols .