Of the Couperins, history has retained Louis and François. Different music from each other of course, but with well-affirmed and instantly recognizable styles. Flowery melodies, and rich harmonies with often surprising modulations. Louis Couperin had an ephemeral existence, a brilliance that traversed the 17th century like a shooting star. Dying in 1661 at 35 years old, he is a character that awakens one’s curiosity. In his music burns a flame, a grandiose and painful fire, that so well represents the French Grand Siècle.
His nephew François was born in 1668, exactly one year after the construction of the harpsichord which served as a model for this recording. He spent his life between Paris and Versailles, organist at both St-Gervais and the Chapelle Royale, and was a renowned harpsichord pedagogue. His works for the harpsichord are of major importance, his solid style allying precision and lightness, virtuosity and detachment. With a curious mind, and being a fine observer, he depicted through his music the world he saw around him, the beautiful and ugly, the happy and the sad. His music is a trap, into which one can fall easily and lose oneself in its details. © Paraty