9.1.2012 - François Couperin

[french frank]

With guest, harpsichordist and Couperin authority Olivier Baumont who will be playing some of the works.

1/5. Couperin the Great: Donald Macleod introduces Couperin's work.
2/5. The Art of Playing the Harpsichord: Couperin's famous instruction manual L'art de toucher le clavecin.
3/5. The Italian Connection: Couperin's activities after the death of Louis XIV and a look at the composer's second book of harpsichord pieces.
4/5. The Former Teacher and Master of Composition: music from Couperin's third book of harpsichord pieces.
5/5. The Elusive M Couperin: Couperin's fourth book of harpsichord pieces.

[french frank]

I thought there would be instant delight over this one! Olivier Baumont's comments and playing should be very illuminating. By coincidence, after I'd entered the details yesterday I went straight downstairs and picked up an edition of the Anna Magdalena Bach Book of 1725 which includes Les Bergeries: the Rondo in B flat (I think it's the only piece in AMB's book by a French composer, and is thought to be one of her favourites) from Couperin's Second livre de pièces de clavecin of 1717 , the book which will be discussed in the Wednesday programme.

[doversoul]

Thank you for the reminder. I am very much looking forward to it. A delight indeed.

[MickyD]

Nice programmes, but I feel sure they are repeats...I'm pretty certain I remember Donald walking and talking with Olivier Beaumont on this composer before?

[doversoul]

MickyD
I thought that too but it was Music at Versailles that ‘Donald walking and talking with Olivier Beaumont’. I very much enjoyed that CoW and am looking forward to this one.

[subcontrabass]

I notice that the playlists on the BBC website attribute most of the works played to Louis Couperin.

[doversoul]

They do indeed
Wednesday (the rest of the week is more or less the same)
1. --:--
Louis Couperin— La Milordine
Performer: Christophe Rousset (harpsichord)
Harmonia Mundi HMX 2901450, CD1 6
2. --:--
Louis Couperin— La Sultanne
Performer: Francois Fernandez, Luis-Otavo Santos (violins) Performer: Emmanuel Balssa, Jérôme Hantai (bass viols) Performer: Elisabeth Joyé (harpsichord)
Alpha 062, 2
3. --:--
Louis Couperin— Les Baricades mystérieuses, Les Langueurs tendres, Les Bergeries
Olivier Baumont (harpsichord), BBC Recording
4. --:--
Louis Couperin— Tenebrae settings of 1714
Performer: Emma Kirkby (soprano) Performer: Jane Ryan (viola da gamba) Performer: Christopher Hogwood (chamber organ)
L'Oiseau-Lyre 430 283-2, 2
5. --:--
Louis Couperin— Ritratto dell'amore (excerpts)
Performer: Ninth concert (Les goûts-réunis) Performer: Aurèle Nicolet (flute), Performer: Thomas Brandis (violin) Performer: Josef Ulsamer (viola da gamba) Performer: Christane Jaccottet (harpsichord)

[Anna]

As someone not knowing Francois Couperin very well, is there a logical explanation for works by his brother Louis rather than by himself?

[vinteuil]

As someone not knowing Francois Couperin very well, is there a logical explanation for works by his brother Louis rather than by himself?

Anna - all the works on doversoul's #7 are in fact by Frank Cooper - and not by his nuncle Lewis (uncle not brother, bytheway... )

It's a regular characteristic of the R3 playlists to confuse the (various) Couperins

EDIT

PS altho' I love them both - I wd now say that I have a strong personal preference for the music of Louis rather over that of young François - there's something in the older composer's melancholy that 'speaks' to me more than the perfection of his nephew.

[MickyD]

MickyD
I thought that too but it was Music at Versailles that ‘Donald walking and talking with Olivier Beaumont’. I very much enjoyed that CoW and am looking forward to this one.

Well done, Vinteuil.....I had a distinct feeling of déjà vu over this, but you have cleared it up for me! And I'm with you on Louis touching the heartstrings more than his young nephew.