Couperin's Concerts royaux (Royal Concerts) are straightforwardly named; they were written in the 1710s for King Louis XIV and published in 1722 as an appendix to Couperin's third book of harpsichord pieces. That might make them seem like something of an afterthought, and indeed they are among Couperin's less often performed works. Partly that's because they pose performance problems; Couperin specified no instrumentation for them, saying they were suitable for performance by harpsichord or by several other instruments in ...
Read More
Couperin's Concerts royaux (Royal Concerts) are straightforwardly named; they were written in the 1710s for King Louis XIV and published in 1722 as an appendix to Couperin's third book of harpsichord pieces. That might make them seem like something of an afterthought, and indeed they are among Couperin's less often performed works. Partly that's because they pose performance problems; Couperin specified no instrumentation for them, saying they were suitable for performance by harpsichord or by several other instruments in groups. French Canadian harpsichordist Luc Beauséjour and a group of other veteran Montreal historical-instrument players solve those problems elegantly, offering groups of various sizes and textures matched to dances of various densities and speeds. The overall impression is much more varied than is usual with sets of Baroque ensemble pieces, and the Baroque flute of Grégoire Jeay is a standout, with perfect intonation and a wonderful dancing, delicate tone. He appears to good effect...
Read Less
Portions of content provided by Rovi Corporation. © 2024 Rovi Corporation.