French harpsichord music

Choosing a programme for a CD is analogous to picking holiday destinations: do you opt for frequently visited places, or less well-trodden territory? Of the six French harpsichord discs under review here, some feature music by the obvious candidates of Couperin (both Louis and François) and Rameau, while others highlight music by composers of more modest origins. Between them a range of approaches to the performance of this music is reflected, by the selection of pieces (and sometimes their omission), the choice of instrument (antique or replica), their tuning, the acoustical space and the recording technology-in addition, of course, to the artistry of the individual performers. Four discs contain works by a single composer, and the other two are mixed programmes.

D'Anglebert: Pièces de clavecin (early-music.com EMCCD-7759, rec 2003) by Hank Knox breaks new ground by using an upright harpsichord (or clavicytherium) built by Yves Beaupré in Montreal in 2002 after a late 1760 s instrument of Albert Delin (1712-71). The novelty has more to do with the shape of the instrument than with the maker, as Kenneth Gilbert recorded D'Anglebert's solo harpsichord music on a 1768 Delin in 1973. Knox's performance abounds with vitality, and he extracts a range of timbres from this single-keyboard instrument, enough to bring out the different characters. I particularly admire his skill of subtly varying the speed of the ornaments and the spreading of the chords whilst maintaining a rock solid, yet bouncy, rhythm.

If Trevor Pinnock's choice of instrument in Rameau: Les Cyclopes, Pièces de clavecin (Avie AV 2056, rec 2004) is more conventional, the result is no less impressive. It embodies many years of labour and Pinnock's rich and broad experience. Of Rameau's solo harpsichord works, he recorded a complete set in 1974/75 (re-released in 2004 on CRD 3310/20/30). He pays his present homage by selecting the Goermans/Taskin (1764, 1783/84) from the Russell Collection, an instrument made in the year of Rameau's death. His programme comprises two suites-in e/E (complete) and in D/d (excerpts)-from the Pièces de clavessin (1724), and two more suites-in a/A (complete) and g/G (excerpts)-from the Nouvelles Suites de pièces de clavecin (c.1728-30). This may well exhaust the capacity of the CD with nearly 80 minutes of music, but not Pinnock's interpretative powers. His performance is of the highest order, with ease and confidence throughout. He responds to individual pieces resourcefully (his resources derive from both the instrument and his own skills) to reveal fully their characters. For example, Les Cyclopes provides an arresting opening, and the use of the buff stop in Fanfarinette (no.8) comes exactly when my ears yearn for some relief. Also worth mentioning is his somewhat unusual treatment of the A minor Gavotte (no.10), in which the theme, rendered very expressively, reappears at the end à la discretion. The result is musically convincing, but such a decision appears to be more artistically inspired than historically informed, although we must remember that discretion is an essential ingredient of the French style. The booklet, in English, French and German, is richly documented with notes on the music (Pinnock), the historical background and biographical information (Jeremy Hayes), the instrument (John Raymond), and other technical information.

In contrast to Pinnock's breathtaking performance, Dandrieu: Pièces pour clavecin (Pavane Records ADW 7473, rec 2002), played by Betty Bruylants, does not quite measure up to modern-day concert expectations. With over 30 pieces (mostly short) from the three books of Dandrieu's 'mature' period, this disc works best when sampled a few tracks at a time. They please rather than shock, with the possible exception of the tone clusters (marked 'coup de canon') in the battle piece La Charge (no.34). Bruylants' playing, on a French double by Alain Anselm, is sensitive and refined, but extremely polite. The seemingly endless repetitive patterns and sequences permit more variety and boldness in the execution, particularly in pieces such as Les Cascades (no.12) and La Fastueuse (no.14), an...