Couperin: Les Nations - CD

ENGLISH

<br><br>Couperin may have been a contemporary of J.S. Bach, but his life stands in marked contrast to that of the great German. A court composer who worked at the fashion capital of the 18th century, Versailles, he was known as a trendsetter – the author of a stylish and refined style where virtuosity and good taste worked in happy coexistence.<br /> <br /> This is nowhere better exemplified than in his Les Nations, four trio pieces consisting of a sonata followed by a suite. While three of the Italianate sonatas were composed long before their publication date (1726), Couperin rejects his cultivation of Les Goûts-réünis – a fusion of the two most important styles of that period, French and Italian – for the dances. Here, instead, he opts for an overtly French idiom, one where expression and form are one and the same. <br /> <br /> Performing Les Nations are the acclaimed early music group Musica ad Rhenum, an ensemble which aims to move, amuse and delight audiences through blending an informed historical perspective with a lively artistic spirit. Using contemporary instrumentation as well as metronome indications and marked freedom of tempo – typical traits of the French style at that time – Jed Wentz directs some highly charged performances.<br /> <br /> Other information:<br /> - Historically informed recording made in 2004.<br /> - Musica ad Rhenum and Jed Wentz play these pieces in chamber music setting, for several string and wind instruments, in the “Authentic Performance Practice”, on period instruments.<br /> - This set is a separate issue from the Complete Chamber Music of Couperin by Musica ad Rhenum, a set which received excellent reviews in the international press, e,g. a Diapason d’Or, and Musicweb wrote: “impressive..Delicious…wonderful. Recordings are clear and beautifully focused...”<br /> - Booklet note by Jed Wentz.