Jean-Henri D'Anglebert - Complete Harpsichord Works (World Premiere Recording) / Rousset

Jean-Henri D'Anglebert (1629-1691)

Complete Harpsichord Works (World Premiere Recording)

Christophe Rousset (1624 Johannes Ruckers harpsichord )

Amazon.com

Jean-Henri D'Anglebert, who replaced the great Chambonnieres as royal harpsichord teacher to the court of Louis XIV, was one of the finest French composers of keyboard music in the last half of the 17th century. The music on this CD, which was taken from D'Anglebert's 1689 book Pièces de Clavecin, consists of six suites of instrumental dances, such as the gavotte, the gigue, and the sarabande. The G Minor suite includes some variations on themes by Lully. Christophe Rousset, regarded as one of the most sensitive interpreters of 17th-century harpsichord music, does a magnificent job of bringing this music to life. Even on the most technically demanding passages, he never succumbs to mere virtuosity. Rousset always places his formidable technique at the service of the music. An interesting historical note: Rousset used a 1624 Johannes Ruckers harpsichord that used to belong to the family of the Marquis de Sade. --Michael Simmons

This is a two-CD box of music played on a 1624 Ruckers harpsichord rebuilt in Paris in the late 17th century. The instrument, formerly the property of the of the Marquis de Sade family, now resides in the Musee d'Unterlinden in Colmar, in which the recording was made. The sound of the instrument is simply wonderful.

Wonderful also is the music. D'Anglebert was "Ordinaire de la musique de la chambre du roi[Louis XIV]". In 1689, he published an collection of four suites - each of many movements, in G, D, g and d. The music is of extraordinary richness and variety; e.g., profound unmeasured preludes, sarabandes, a passacaille, a tombeau, etc.; graceful, danceable allemandes, courantes, gigues, minuets; and many arrangements of dance movements and charming airs from operas by Lully, which, without significant intrusion, he adapts to the distinct idiom of the clavecin.

The plenitude, variety, and ubiquity of the ornaments is astonishing - there are vitually no measures lacking at least one; most have many. The artist, Christophe Rousset, has mastered the craft of spinning off these with a fluent lightness perferctly suited to the music. The rustling flow of sound sings and fairly sparkles with them.

The instrument, tuned very accurately in meantone temperament, has a perfect balance of clarity, resonance, warmth and sustain, with a beautiful, late-autumn-afternoon "golden" quality, which I find completely seductive - fully evocative of "L'Age d'Or"

Rousset's playing is flawless and generally appropriate - except, to my taste, for one thing. There is at certain times a sense of alacrity, glibness, even occasionally superficiality, born, perhaps in part, of his amazing technical achievements. (Perhaps, also, he may have felt the pressure of fitting almost 160 minutes of music onto just two CDs, a feat he just barely accomplishes!)

This is music of nobility, tender sentiment, elegance and variety of means, all of it permeated by that slight, soft nostalgia which is all its own.

The recording is currently out of print. Consider looking for it on the internet; if you love this music, I think you will find it to have been well worth the effort and expense.

Many Thanks to Michael R for this generous contibution!!