Couperin Complete Solo Harpsichord Music

When these suites by Louis Couperin were first issued their release coincided with Davitt Moroney's all-embracing survey for Harmonia Mundi, now on four CDs (4/90), of the composer's complete solo harpsichord music. Prior to that, the field belonged mainly to Gustav Leonhardt and Laurence Boulay (Harmonia Mundi and Erato, respectively—both nla). More recently, the French harpsichordist Blandine Verlet has entered the lists with two discs on Astree (see review above) with the promise, indeed assurance of more to come.

The third in a series of four releases in the Complete Keyboard Works of François Couperin, this three-CD set includes Couperin's third book of harpsichord pieces. Featuring internationally acclaimed harpsichordist Davitt Moroney, this recording showcases two historically important instruments: the 1627 Ioannes Ruckers harpsichord and the 1768 Joannes Goermans harpsichord.

In her complete recording of the solo and accompanied harpsichord pieces of Jean-Philippe Rameau, Blandine Rannou invited us to ‘change dimensions, accept – decide – that a silence between two notes, a slight time-lag between two voices . . . can be genuine events, striking, powerful, raucous, overwhelming or sensual’.

Christophe Rousset is one of the finest and most exciting harpsichordists, and as a conductor is a leader in the late 20th century revival of French Baroque music. After studying piano as a boy, he became deeply interested in the harpsichord at the age of 13. He studied with Huguette Dreyfus at the Schola Cantorum in Paris and, from 1980 to 1983, with Bob van Asperen at the Royal Conservatory of the Hague. He won a special certificate of distinction at the Schola Cantorum and, in 1983, the first prize at the International Harpsichord Competition in Bruges.

The world premiere recording of the complete Pieces de clavecin by Antoine Forqueray, court musician of Louis XN and one of the greatest viola da gamba players of all times. The Pieces de Clavecin comprise five Suites containing 32 pieces in total and were published after the composer's death by his son, the equally famous Jean-Baptiste-Antoine Forqueray in two versions: as viola da gamba solos with continuo and in a transcription for solo harpsichord, the latter being the better-known version.

Collected together for the first time are all of RUGGIERO RICCI’s nine solo albums taped for American Decca between 1960 and 1970. The sessions brought concertos by Vivaldi (The Four Seasons with an all-Stradivarius ensemble), Paganini and Saint-Sa?ns as well as several concept albums. ‘The Glory of Cremona’, a recording ‘that all fiddle fanciers will insist on having’ (Stereo Review) saw him play fifteen priceless violins. The 1967 traversal of the complete Bach Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin were described by Gramophone as ‘a miracle’. One of the last century’s most spell-binding technicians on the violin, Ricci was a complete musician, to whom this set pays eloquent tribute.