IDAGIO | Rameau: Pièces de clavecin – Complete Keyboard Suites 00602448806932

Featuring

Mahan Esfahani
Jean-Philippe Rameau

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Composition History

Rameau's harpsichord music is surprisingly small in quantity compared to his contemporaries like Couperin or J.S. Bach, consisting of only five suites and a few other pieces.

Compositional Technique

Rameau's harpsichord music is characterized by wit, drama, and a unique blend of the witty and the cerebral, often parodying traditional dance movements.

Performer Biography

Mahan Esfahani is the first harpsichordist to be a BBC New Generation Artist and to give a harpsichord recital at the Proms, working to bring the instrument into mainstream concert halls.

Recording & Production

Four different temperaments were used for this recording, with specific tunings like meantone or Bradley Lehman's interpretation of Rameau's temperament for earlier pieces, and equal temperament for La Dauphine.

Instruments

The harpsichord used in this recording is a rare 1636 Andreas Ruckers instrument, later modified in 1763 by Henri Hemsch, and is part of the Cobbe Collection.

Composer Biography

Jean-Philippe Rameau, though an accomplished harpsichordist, largely turned away from composing for the instrument after achieving success in the theatre.