François Couperin’s highly imaginative and diverse keyboard oeuvre has been a source of many inspired, occasionally controversial recorded performances on LP and CD. Here, rather than perform complete suites as is most often done, the ever-adventurous harpsichordist Blandine Rannou offers all eight Preludes from L’Arte de toucher le Clavecin (The art of playing the harpsichord), following them with a “personal selection” of extracts from all four of the composer’s books of harpsichord pieces.
Rannou generally adopts moderate to slow tempos, and like Verlet (Astrée) and to a lesser degree Rousset (Harmonia Mundi) has a tendency to downplay lyricism in favor of a more “punctuated” expressive delivery. Most of the time this approach works well–such as in Le Turbulent and La Reine des coeurs. There are a few other instances however where either the phrasing is inordinately stretched (L’Atendrissante) or the dance element unduly sacrificed (her rendering of the famous les Baricades Misterieuses is the most prominent example). However, these are quibbles that do not significantly detract from Rannou’s overall superb achievement.
Zig Zag’s sound is equally fine, with remarkable clarity and presence that realistically captures the harpsichord’s timbre and range. Rannou’s engaging liner notes feature many fascinating anecdotes. Recommended especially to those already familiar with these works who are up for a new, often captivating perspective on them.
