This recording marked Blandine Rannou's debut as a solo artist, having previously been known primarily as a continuo player with ensembles like Gérard Lesne's Il Seminario Musicale.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded from July 28 to August 10, 2000, at Lycée Carnot in Dijon, France.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Jean-Philippe Rameau, the composer, viewed the harpsichord as a 'sort of orchestra in miniature,' giving the performer the delightful privilege of imagining all the orchestral instruments.
Recording & Production
Franck Jaffrès served as the recording producer, sound engineer, and editor for this album.
Performer Biography
Blandine Rannou won a prize at the Bruges International Harpsichord Competition in 1992 and was nominated for 'instrumental discovery' at the Victoires de la Musique Classique.
Instruments
Blandine Rannou, the harpsichordist, uses two different harpsichords by Marc Ducornet for this recording: one after Ruckers (Antwerp, 1624) for CD1 and one after a French harpsichord of the Hemsch school for CD2.
Interpretation
Blandine Rannou believes that none of Rameau's harpsichord pieces are miniatures, but rather rich, sensitive worlds that require the listener and performer to 'zoom in' to understand them.
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