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.

[doversoul1]

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?

[doversoul1]

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.

[doversoul1]

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.

[vinteuil]

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.

micky - it was our doversoul who provided the clarification!

[John Skelton]

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.

It's been a wonderful 12 months or so for Louis Couperin's music, with Christophe Rousset's CDs on Aparté and Richard Egarr's Harmonia Mundi set. Completely understand what you say about the uncle, though both are magnificent composers of course .

[doversoul1]

micky - it was our doversoul who provided the clarification!

It was our subcontrabass who sounded the warning in the first place.

[MickyD]

micky - it was our doversoul who provided the clarification!

Whoops, sorry doversoul!! And thanks, Vinteuil for pointing out my mistake...I should look before I post!

[french frank]

I haven't checked each individual piece, but it does seem that today's playlist is correct - three pieces by François and two by Uncle Louis. I think all the other Louis attributions should be to François.