Back in the 1980s Jordi Savall received well-deserved international acclaim for his stylish, if not idiomatically unique, recordings of François Couperin’s Les Nations, Les Apothéoses, and Pièces de Violes (all originally on Astrée, though now reissued by Naïve). Well, he’s back with a stunning performance of Couperin’s Les Concerts Royaux, and the wait certainly has been worth it. From the opening prelude Gravement of the Premier Concert to the concluding Forlane Rondeau Gayement of the fourth and final Quatrieme Concert Savall and his distinguished colleagues aurally evoke the opulence, grandeur, sophistication, and at times the frivolity and caprice of Louis XIV’s court.
Expertly crafted performances and knowing period practice certainly are par for the course here, though Savall’s auspicious achievement ultimately rests with one simple, brilliant, though strangely rarely acknowledged fact–that like Louis, Savall understands that often more is indeed more and that size, especially here, really does matter. Unlike the vast majority of the many previous recordings of these pieces, where the ensembles typically vary in number between two to four members (Couperin rarely was specific about instrumentation), Savall is joined by seven players–all among the crème de la crème of the current European period-performance scene.
Alia Vox’s sound leaves absolutely nothing to be desired. The ensemble balances are ideal and the timbre and presence of each instrument is remarkably transparent and convincing. The lavish digipac presentation and 63-page multi-lingual booklet featuring inspirational notes by Savall, a brief movement-by-movement appreciation by Philippe Beaussant, as well as a facsimile of Couperin’s original letter discussing Les Concerts Royaux’s raison d’être, equally complement the first-rate production. This is big, fat, decadent, ostentatiously French Couperin guaranteed to satisfy the heartiest music lover’s appetite.
