Search - Francois Couperin, Kenneth Gilbert :: Francois Couperin: Premier Livre de Clavecin (First Book for Harpsichord)

You Don't Know What You're Missing!

Alan W. Pollack | Brighton, MA USA | 08/11/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The performances and sound quality on all four volumes of this complete set of Couperin's keyboard music are exceptional. It's hard to believe these CDs are made from analog recordings done in the early 70s.Anyone who enjoys the keyboard music of JS Bach will enjoy this as well. Couperin was approximately 1 generation younger than Bach and in contrast with JSB, Couperin's music is more "purely" French in flavor, and makes less demand in terms of rigorous intellectual design. On the other hand, Couperin's sometimes coloristic use of the harpsichord surprisingly and startlingly anticipates the piano music of Chopin and Debussy in the way it willfully exploits the unique timbres of the instrument.Those not at all familiar with Couperin will find volumes 2 and 3 the more accessable place to begin. This first volume was written earlier in his career and is somewhat less fully "individually characteristic" of his more mature work.Still there is wellspring of tuneful melody and snappy Baroque dance rhythms to be found here. The relatively brief 4th Ordre in F is the single most consistently original of the suites on volume one, but every single ordre has at least a couple of truly memorable pieces."