Couperin: Les Nations Les Talens Lyriques & Christophe Rousset

• François Couperin (1668 - 1733): Les Nations, Premier Ordre, La Française:
• 1Les Nations, Premier Ordre, La Française: I. Sonade06:31
• 2Les Nations, Premier Ordre, La Française: II. Allemande04:07
• 3Les Nations, Premier Ordre, La Française: III. Première Courante01:34
• 4Les Nations, Premier Ordre, La Française: IV. Seconde Courante01:26
• 5Les Nations, Premier Ordre, La Française: V. Sarabande02:48
• 6Les Nations, Premier Ordre, La Française: VI. Gigue01:17
• 7Les Nations, Premier Ordre, La Française: VII. Chaconne ou passacaille02:54
• 8Les Nations: Premier Ordre, La Française: VIII. Gavotte00:53
• 9Les Nations, Premier Ordre, La Française: IX. Menuet01:09
• Les Nations, Second Ordre, L'Espagnole:
• 10Les Nations, Second Ordre, L'Espagnole: I. Sonade08:23
• 11Les Nations, Second Ordre, L'Espagnole: II. Allemande03:05
• 12Les Nations, Second Ordre, L'Espagnole: III. Première Courante01:52
• 13Les Nations, Second Ordre, L'Espagnole: IV. Seconde Courante01:49
• 14Les Nations, Second Ordre, L'Espagnole: V. Sarabande03:22
• 15Les Nations, Second Ordre, L'Espagnole: VI. Gigue lourée02:28
• 16Les Nations, Second Ordre, L'Espagnole: VII. Gavotte00:59
• 17Les Nations, Second Ordre, L'Espagnole: VIII. Rondeau03:08
• 18Les Nations, Second Ordre, L'Espagnole: IX. Bourrée, Double01:29
• 19Les Nations, Second Ordre, L'Espagnole: X. Passacaille04:25
• Les Nations, Troisième Ordre, L'Impériale:
• 20Les Nations, Troisième Ordre, L'Impériale: I. Sonade10:21
• 21Les Nations, Troisième Ordre, L'Impériale: II. Allemande02:53
• 22Les Nations, Troisième Ordre, L'Impériale: III. Première Courante01:53
• 23Les Nations, Troisième Ordre, L'Impériale: IV. Seconde Courante01:41
• 24Les Nations, Troisième Ordre, L'Impériale: V. Sarabande03:16
• 25Les Nations, Troisième Ordre, L'Impériale: VI. Bourrée00:38
• 26Les Nations, Troisième Ordre, L'Impériale: VII. Gigue01:13
• 27Les Nations, Troisième Ordre, L'Impériale: VIII. Rondeau02:27
• 28Les Nations, Troisième Ordre, L'Impériale: IX. Chaconne05:30
• 29Les Nations, Troisième Ordre, L'Impériale: X. Menuet00:56
• Les Nations, Quatrième Ordre, La Piémontaise:
• 30Les Nations, Quatrième Ordre, La Piémontaise: I. Sonade08:54
• 31Les Nations, Quatrième Ordre, La Piémontaise: II. Allemande02:53
• 32Les Nations, Quatrième Ordre, La Piémontaise: III. Première Courante01:46
• 33Les Nations, Quatrième Ordre, La Piémontaise: IV. Seconde Courante02:03
• 34Les Nations, Quatrième Ordre, La Piémontaise: V. Sarabande03:54
• 35Les Nations, Quatrième Ordre, La Piémontaise: VI. Rondeau02:37
• 36Les Nations, Quatrième Ordre, La Piémontaise: VII. Gigue02:05
• Total Runtime01:48:39

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