François Couperin's Leçons de ténèbres

[Mandryka]

There are plenty of recordings I haven't heard, but at the moment I'm completely bowled over by the intimacy and the seriousness and the intensity and the spirituality and the austerity of Robin Blaze (countertenor)  with organ





No less impressed with the opera, the drama, of Boulay II with the glorious soprano of Mieke van de Sluis and a beautiful consort




And the sensual, voluptuous Gerard Lesne with Il Semenario Musicale

[71 dB]

The only recording I have is Concerto Vocale/René Jacobs on Harmonia Mundi, HMD 941133. I have to say I am pretty happy with it. In fact, I haven't listened to it for ages. Seems like a CD to revisit in the near future! 

As for Gerard Lesne & Il Semenario Musicale goes, I have Marc-Antoine Charpentier's Leçons de ténèbres by them. Great stuff I have to say.

[bioluminescentsquid]

There are plenty of recordings I haven't heard, but at the moment I'm completely bowled over by the intimacy and the seriousness and the intensity and the spirituality and the austerity of Robin Blaze (countertenor)  with organ

Thank you for the Robin Blaze! I was not aware of it and it has become one of my favorite recordings of the Leçons.

The Leçons seem to be one of those timeless pieces of music that is difficult to screw up. Most recordings I know merely offer different perspectives of them. I like intimate and simple the most - James Bowman and Alfred Deller are my favorites in this style. On the other hand there is the very extrovert, maximalist even recording with Ensemble Les Surprises that uses baritones for the second and third lessons, and constantly alternates between harpsichord and organ for continuo! Somewhere in between is the recording with Anne Monoyios.

[Mandryka]

Thank you for the Robin Blaze! I was not aware of it and it has become one of my favorite recordings of the Leçons.

The Leçons seem to be one of those timeless pieces of music that is difficult to screw up.

See what you think of Zomer/Grimm/Fentross - it's beautiful, it's still, it's prayerful - I have a sort of love/hate relationship with it though.



https://static.qobuz.com/goodies/19/000156491.pdf

For me, Deller/Todd/Chapuis is a bit the same - very mystical and wonderful, but it's heavy, and stiff even, it shows its age. Love/hate. But I  love more his first recording with Gabb and Dupré, because the voice is fresh



One I like unconditionally because it's so pure, angels singing, is Daneman/Petibon/Christie

[Elgarian Redux]

One I like unconditionally because it's so pure, angels singing, is Daneman/Petibon/Christie

One of the greatest recordings I own. It makes me want to own multiple copies. Actually, I do own more than one copy! But seriously, it sounds like music coming straight from Heaven. I met Sophie Daneman once during an interval in a concert, and asked her about this and other recordings she'd made with Christie. She was very matter-of-fact about it, saying she'd been lucky, and in the right place at the right time to be given the opportunity.

And yet I suppose, when you make music like this, what else is there to say? The recording shines like a beacon, its music full of hope, beauty, and goodness.