François Couperin L'Alchimiste: Un petit théâtre du monde

Featuring

Bertrand Cuiller
Isabelle Saint-Yves
François Couperin

Did you know?

1/7

Performer Biography

Bertrand Cuiller, the harpsichordist on this album, began playing the harpsichord at age eight and later studied with his mentor Pierre Hantaï and Christophe Rousset.

Interpretation

Bertrand Cuiller chose a thematic, rather than chronological, approach for this complete recording of Couperin's harpsichord works, with the first volume focusing on pieces inspired by the theatre.

Performer Biography

At just nineteen years old, Bertrand Cuiller won third prize at the prestigious Bruges International Harpsichord Competition in 1998.

Compositional Technique

Couperin's titles for his harpsichord pieces are often polysemous and enigmatic, serving to open up imaginative possibilities for the listener rather than providing a single, clear meaning.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Couperin's prefaces to his harpsichord books are crucial for understanding his intentions, as he explicitly stated that his pieces must be performed exactly as marked, without alteration.

Recording & Production

This album is part of a multi-year project by Bertrand Cuiller to record the complete harpsichord works of François Couperin.

Instruments

The harpsichord used for this recording was made by Philippe Humeau in 1977, modeled after an anonymous late 17th-century French instrument, and was re-voiced in 2006.