Versailles

"Versailles" is Alexandre Tharaud's tribute to the great composers of the French courts of Louis XIV, XV and XVI – the well-known Lully, Rameau, Charpentier and Couperin, and lesser-known figures such as d'Anglebert and Forqueray. This varied selection of miniatures is a window into the glamorous world of the Baroque court. Tharaud is joined by soprano Sabine Devieilhe for one Rameau piece, and fellow pianist Justin Taylor for another.

Featuring

Alexandre Tharaud
Sabine Devieilhe
Justin Taylor
Jean-Philippe Rameau
Robert de Visée
Joseph Nicolas Pancrace Royer

Jean-Henri d’Anglebert
François Couperin
Jacques Duphly
Jean-Baptiste Lully
Claude-Benigne Balbastre

Did you know?

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Compositional Technique

In Baroque music, identical repetition was strenuously avoided; the term 'double' (derived from the 17th-century French air) denotes the varied reprise of a piece.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Jean-Philippe Rameau, a composer featured on this album, wrote orchestrally for the keyboard, moving beyond the harpsichord, which he gave up while still young.

Interpretation

Alexandre Tharaud's album includes some pieces that have never been recorded on an instrument other than harpsichord or organ.

Interpretation

Alexandre Tharaud sees himself as part of a long tradition of pianists playing French baroque music, a tradition that includes Chopin, who performed Rameau.

Interpretation

Alexandre Tharaud is inspired by Marcelle Meyer, a key figure of the interwar French musical avant-garde, who recorded a set of Rameau pieces on the piano.

Interpretation

Pianist Alexandre Tharaud chose pieces for this album that he felt closest to after playing through all the keyboard music of various composers, including some rarely played on modern pianos.

Compositional Technique

Jean-Henry d'Anglebert, a composer on this album, was a master harpsichordist who composed exclusively for the instrument, pushing its possibilities to the furthest limit.