Nicolas Richer

Mehul was the most famous French composer in the time of the Revolution, Consulate and Empire, praised by Mendelssohn, Schumann, Weber and Berlioz, and lauded to the skies by Cherubini, who called Stratonice (the fifth of his 35 operas) “a work of genius, Mehul’s masterpiece”. Nor was he alone in this opinion, since in Paris alone it was performed over 200 times during the next quarter of a century, though withdrawn during the Reign of Terror because of the finale praising royal compassion. The opera – comique only in the sense of including spoken dialogue – is serious in tone (as the grave and dramatic overture presages): based on a classical subject, it tells how Seleucus, King of Syria, engages a doctor (Erasistrate) to cure his son Antiochus’s suicidal depression, which is in fact caused by his love for his father’s fiancee, the Princess Stratonice.

Nicolas Lebègue & Jacques Hardel - Complete Works for Harpsichord - Karen Flint (2014) {Plectra Music}
FLAC (tracks) - 16bit/44.1kHz - Official Digital Download -> 1.33 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 525 Mb
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© 2014 Plectra Music | PL21401
Classical / Baroque / Harpsichord

This three-CD set includes the complete works for harpsichord by Nicolas Lebègue (1631-1702) and Jacques Hardel (1643-1678) performed by Karen Flint on the 1627 & 1635 Ioannes Ruckers harpsichords. French Baroque rarities delight in this substantial recital. I must admit I wasn t familiar with the composers on this disc, but they re both discoveries that I m happy to have made. Performing here on two magnificent Ruckers keyboards from the early 17th century, Karen Flint plays these French Baroque works with an exquisitely light touch, presenting Lebègue and Hardel s dances in the best possible way. The complete harpsichord works of Lebègue consist of his 1677 Les Pièces de Clavessin, and the 1687 Second Livre de Clavessin. Notably, it s in the earlier collection that the very first unmeasured preludes (a form of prelude where each note s duration is at the performer s discretion) are contained.