Couperin: Les Nations Les Talens Lyriques & Christophe Rousset

• François Couperin (1668 - 1733): Les Nations, Premier Ordre, La Française:
• 1 Les Nations, Premier Ordre, La Française: I. Sonade 06:31
• 2 Les Nations, Premier Ordre, La Française: II. Allemande 04:07
• 3 Les Nations, Premier Ordre, La Française: III. Première Courante 01:34
• 4 Les Nations, Premier Ordre, La Française: IV. Seconde Courante 01:26
• 5 Les Nations, Premier Ordre, La Française: V. Sarabande 02:48
• 6 Les Nations, Premier Ordre, La Française: VI. Gigue 01:17
• 7 Les Nations, Premier Ordre, La Française: VII. Chaconne ou passacaille 02:54
• 8 Les Nations: Premier Ordre, La Française: VIII. Gavotte 00:53
• 9 Les Nations, Premier Ordre, La Française: IX. Menuet 01:09
• Les Nations, Second Ordre, L'Espagnole:
• 10 Les Nations, Second Ordre, L'Espagnole: I. Sonade 08:23
• 11 Les Nations, Second Ordre, L'Espagnole: II. Allemande 03:05
• 12 Les Nations, Second Ordre, L'Espagnole: III. Première Courante 01:52
• 13 Les Nations, Second Ordre, L'Espagnole: IV. Seconde Courante 01:49
• 14 Les Nations, Second Ordre, L'Espagnole: V. Sarabande 03:22
• 15 Les Nations, Second Ordre, L'Espagnole: VI. Gigue lourée 02:28
• 16 Les Nations, Second Ordre, L'Espagnole: VII. Gavotte 00:59
• 17 Les Nations, Second Ordre, L'Espagnole: VIII. Rondeau 03:08
• 18 Les Nations, Second Ordre, L'Espagnole: IX. Bourrée, Double 01:29
• 19 Les Nations, Second Ordre, L'Espagnole: X. Passacaille 04:25
• Les Nations, Troisième Ordre, L'Impériale:
• 20 Les Nations, Troisième Ordre, L'Impériale: I. Sonade 10:21
• 21 Les Nations, Troisième Ordre, L'Impériale: II. Allemande 02:53
• 22 Les Nations, Troisième Ordre, L'Impériale: III. Première Courante 01:53
• 23 Les Nations, Troisième Ordre, L'Impériale: IV. Seconde Courante 01:41
• 24 Les Nations, Troisième Ordre, L'Impériale: V. Sarabande 03:16
• 25 Les Nations, Troisième Ordre, L'Impériale: VI. Bourrée 00:38
• 26 Les Nations, Troisième Ordre, L'Impériale: VII. Gigue 01:13
• 27 Les Nations, Troisième Ordre, L'Impériale: VIII. Rondeau 02:27
• 28 Les Nations, Troisième Ordre, L'Impériale: IX. Chaconne 05:30
• 29 Les Nations, Troisième Ordre, L'Impériale: X. Menuet 00:56
• Les Nations, Quatrième Ordre, La Piémontaise:
• 30 Les Nations, Quatrième Ordre, La Piémontaise: I. Sonade 08:54
• 31 Les Nations, Quatrième Ordre, La Piémontaise: II. Allemande 02:53
• 32 Les Nations, Quatrième Ordre, La Piémontaise: III. Première Courante 01:46
• 33 Les Nations, Quatrième Ordre, La Piémontaise: IV. Seconde Courante 02:03
• 34 Les Nations, Quatrième Ordre, La Piémontaise: V. Sarabande 03:54
• 35 Les Nations, Quatrième Ordre, La Piémontaise: VI. Rondeau 02:37
• 36 Les Nations, Quatrième Ordre, La Piémontaise: VII. Gigue 02:05
• Total Runtime 01:48:39

Info for Couperin: Les Nations

Best known today as a composer of harpsichord music, Couperin remained deeply involved in chamber music. His four inventive trio sonatas and suites entitled Les Nations allege to explore the different musical styles of France and Italy. In fact, each nation’s sonata is more likely Corellian and they’re all flavoured by a free-form virtuosity and elaborate French dance suite. Probably inspired by Corelli’s pages, whose Trio Sonata Books appeared in the 1680s, Couperin first composed ‘La Pucelle’, ‘La Visionnaire’ and ‘L’Astrée’. They are subsequently entitled ‘La Françoise’, ‘L’Espagnole’, ‘L’Impériale’ and ‘La Piémontoise’. Despite these solemn titles, Les Nations are nimbled by a mysterious charm because French and Italian styles mingle. As a crowning final of Couperin’s anniversary year, Christophe Rousset and his Talens Lyriques deliver a long-matured version of Les Nations: pure beauty and grace.

Les Talens Lyriques
Christophe Rousset, harpsichord, direction

Christophe Rousset
the founder of the Les Talens Lyriques and an internationally renowned harpsichordist, is a musician and an orchestral conductor inspired by a passion for opera and the rediscovery of the European musical heritage.

After harpsichord studies at La Schola Cantorum in Paris with Huguette Dreyfus, followed by the Conservatoire Royal in The Hague with Bob van Asperen (winning, at the age of 22, the prestigious First Prize in the 7th Bruges Harpsichord Competition), and followed in turn by the creation of his own ensemble, Les Talens Lyriques, in 1991, Christophe Rousset has a perfect grasp of the richness and diversity of the Baroque, Classical and Preromantic repertoires.

After initially attracting attention for his extraordinary talent as a harpsichordist, he soon made his mark as a conductor, with invitations from around the world to perform with his ensemble (Opéra de Paris, De Nederlandse Opera, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Salle Pleyel, Opéra de Lausanne, Teatro Real, Theater an der Wien, Opéra Royal de Versailles, Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, Barbican Centre, Carnegie Hall, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the Aix-en-Provence and Beaune Festivals, to name but a few venues).

Alongside this, he has continued to pursue an active career as harpsichordist and chamber musician, performing and recording on the most beautiful period instruments. His complete performances of the works for harpsichord of F. Couperin, Rameau, d’Anglebert and Forqueray and various recordings of pieces by J. S. Bach (Partitas, Variations Goldberg, Concertos for harpsichord, English Suites, French Suites, Klavierbüchlein) are considered landmarks. His most recent recording of another musical monument by the German Cantor, the 2nd book of the Well-tempered Clavier (Aparté) – a recording made in the Château of Versailles on a Joannes Ruckers harpsichord (1628) – has been awarded a number of honours, including a “Choc” from Classica magazine and CD of the week from Britain’s Radio 3. The instruments of the Paris Museum of Music have also been entrusted to him for the recording of three CDs of music by Royer, Rameau and Froberger.

Teaching is also an aspect with major importance for Christophe Rousset, who conducts and organises master classes and academies for young people (Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, CNSMDs Paris, Académie d’Ambronay, Orchestre Français des Jeunes Baroques, Jeune Orchestre Atlantique, Junge Deutsche Philharmonie, the Britten-Pears Orchestra) and he devotes himself with great energy, alongside the musicians of Les Talens Lyriques, to introducing young secondary school pupils in Paris and the surrounding region to the world of music.

Christophe also has a career as guest conductor (Liceu Barcelona, San Carlo Naples, La Scala Milan, Opéra Royal de Wallonie, Orquesta Nacional de España and the Hong Kong Philharmonic, Orchestre du Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, among other orchestras) as well as the active pursuit of musical research, with the production of critical editions and the publication by Actes Sud of a study on Rameau in 2007.

Christophe Rousset has been awarded the French honours of Chevalier of the Légion d’honneur, Commandeur in the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and Chevalier in the Ordre national du Mérite.

Booklet for Couperin: Les Nations