François Couperin: Tic toc choc (Remastered) Alexandre Tharaud

• François Couperin (1668 - 1733): Pieces de Clavecin, Book 2:
• 1 Couperin: Pieces de Clavecin, Book 2: Les Baricades Mistérieuses (6e Ordre) 01:40
• Pieces de clavecin, Book 3:
• 2 Couperin: Pieces de clavecin, Book 3: Le Tic-Toc-Choc Ou Les Maillotins (18e Ordre) 02:27
• Pieces de Clavecin, Book 4:
• 3 Couperin: Pieces de Clavecin, Book 4: La Couperin (21e Ordre) 03:54
• Pieces de clavecin, Book 3:
• 4 Couperin: Pieces de clavecin, Book 3: Les Calotines (19e Ordre) 02:16
• Pieces de Clavecin, Book 4:
• 5 Couperin: Pieces de Clavecin, Book 4: Les Ombres Errantes (25e Ordre) 04:10
• Pieces de clavecin, Book 3:
• 6 Couperin: Pieces de clavecin, Book 3: Les Tricoteuses (23e Ordre) 02:13
• 7 Couperin: Pieces de Clavecin, Book 3: Le Carillon de Cithére (14e Ordre) 03:46
• 8 Couperin: Pieces de clavecin, Book 3: Muséte de Taverni (à 5 Mains) [15e Ordre] 02:24
• 9 Couperin: Pieces de Clavecin, Book 3: Les Rozeaux (13e Ordre) 02:48
• 10 Couperin: Pieces de clavecin, Book 3: L'Atalante (12e Ordre) 01:44
• Pieces de Clavecin, Book 2:
• 11 Couperin: Pieces de Clavecin, Book 2: Passacaille (8e Ordre) 05:43
• Pieces de Clavecin, Book 4:
• 12 Couperin: Pieces de clavecin, Book 4: La Muse Plantine (19e Ordre) 02:19
• 13 Couperin: Pieces de Clavecin, Book 4: Les Tours de Passe-passe (22e Ordre) 02:25
• Pieces de clavecin, Book 2:
• 14 Couperin: Pieces de clavecin, Book 2: Bruit de Guerre (extrait de la Triomphante) [10e Ordre] 02:34
• Pieces de clavecin, Book 3:
• 15 Couperin: Pieces de Clavecin, Book 3: Le Dodo Ou L'Amour Au Berceau (15e Ordre) 03:25
• Pieces de Clavecin, Book 4:
• 16 Couperin: Pieces de clavecin, Book 4: La Visionnaire (25e Ordre) 03:37
• Pieces de Clavecin, Book 1:
• 17 Couperin: Pieces de Clavecin, Book 1: La Logivière (5e Ordre) 04:15
• Pieces de clavecin, Book 3:
• 18 Couperin: Pieces de clavecin, Book 3: Les Juméles (12e Ordre) 05:01
• 19 Couperin: Pieces de Clavecin, Book 3: Les Chérubins Ou L'aimable Lazure (20e Ordre) 03:05
• Pieces de Clavecin, Book 4:
• 20 Couperin: Pièces pour clavecin, Book 4: La Pothouïn 05:20
• Total Runtime 01:05:06

Info for François Couperin: Tic toc choc (Remastered)

Following a benchmark Rameau album, Alexandre Tharaud continued in 2007 his exploration of French Baroque music with a programme focusing on the idea of play: ‘Taking Le Tic-Toc-Choc, a colourful piece I often use as an encore, as the centrepiece, I gathered together Couperin’s most “pianistic” pieces, concentrating on the playful aspect of some of them.’ This sensitive, inspired interpretation has in its turn become a landmark in the catalogue.

"I wanted to focus this programme on the idea of play. Centring on Le Tic-Toc-Choc, which I often use as an encore, I gathered together Couperin's most 'pianistic' pieces, underlining the playful aspect… I have a particularly soft spot for Duphly's La Pothoïn, which for me is one of the loveliest pieces ever composed for keyboard. I think this music, written later than Couperin's, provides an ideal link between the harpsichord and the arrival of the fortepiano, which Duphly couldn't bring himself to adopt. All through these sessions, shut up in the immense hall at IRCAM, I thought of a number of artists who have long been part of my life and a source of inspiration for me, that whole family of pianists who handed this repertoire down to us: Louis Diémer, Marcelle Meyer, Robert Casadesus, Emil Gilels,Yvonne Lefébure, Pierre Barbizet... They were omnipresent in my mind.This recording is my tribute to them." (Alexandre Tharaud)

"Reactions to a disc like this can only be personal, but mine are that, compared to the more "correct" but less colourful Angela Hewitt… Tharaud's unapologetically pianistic approach not only yields highly attractive results but also gets closer to the Couperin's true spirit. Poetic wonders such as La muse plantine, Les ombres errantes and the iconic Les baricades mistérieuses are played with tender sensitivity of mind and touch, while Le carillon de Cithére is a glistening vision of a Watteauesque paradise. Tharaud closes with a piece by Duphly, relishing its dark melancholy and, not for the first time on this disc, evoking another great keyboard poet, Robert Schumann." (Gramophone Magazine)

"If you doubt that a concert grand can be as sparkling as a harpsichord listen to Akexandre Tharaud and his selection of 20 Couperin jewels. Try his way with Le Carillon de Clithére and you will never want to hear a harpsichord again. Sleek presentation, clever sleeve notes and high-end sound make this the most beautifully packaged of all the collected releases here." (Pianist Magazine)

Alexandre Tharaud, piano

Alexandre Tharaud
For Harmonia Mundi, Alexandre made a series of successful and award winning recordings which included discs of Rameau, Ravel (complete piano works), Bach (Italian Concerti), Couperin, Satie. He has recorded a series of Chopin discs; the complete waltzes and twenty four preludes as well as a personal selection, Journal Intime, which marked his first release with EMI Classics. Subsequent, award winning releases include JS Bach’s keyboard concertos and a selection of Scarlatti’s sonatas.

In recent seasons, Alexandre has appeared at the Köln Philharmonie, Bern Casino, Essen Philharmonie, South Bank piano series, Rudolfinum in Prague, Krakow Philharmonic, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Cité de la Musique, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, John F Kennedy Centre and Hoam Art Hall in Seoul. His festival credits include ‘Piano aux Jacobins', La Roque d'Anthéron, BBC PROMS, Lufthansa Festival of Baroque Music, Sacrum-Profanum in Krakow, Schleswig-Holstein and the Rimini festival.

Alexandre is a Resident Artist at the MC2 in Grenoble, and was the Artistic Director of the Amadeus festival in Switzerland in 2011.

As a soloist, Alexandre has performed with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Münchner Rundfunkorchester, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio-France, Orchestre National de France, Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse, Orchestre National de Lyon, Orchestre National de Lille, Orchestre National de Bordeaux-Aquitaine, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Orquestra Sinfonica do Estado de Sao Paulo, Umea Symphony Orchestra, Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Saarbrücken,

Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, Tokyo Metropolitan Orchestra, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Taïwan National Symphony Orchestra, Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, Les Violons du Roy and the Bolchoi Theatre Orchestra. Next season will see him perform Poulenc’s concerto with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

His close collaboration with cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras has led to invitations to perform at the most prestigious halls around the world and recordings of three successful CDs (Hungarian cello music, Arpeggione, Debussy/Poulenc).

Alexandre's adventurous approach to programming has resulted in a number of commissions and premières; he has toured extensively in Europe with his ‘Hommages à Rameau' and ‘Hommage à Couperin' programmes which feature works by the old masters interwoven with tributes by contemporary composers. May saw the premiere of Pianosong; a selection of contemporary works composed after popular songs from the 1960s-80s. He has also just premiered French composer Gérard Pesson’s new piano concerto, together with the Tonhalle.

Booklet for François Couperin: Tic toc choc (Remastered)