François Couperin: Keyboard Music, Vol. 1

Couperin's music is filled with 'grace notes' (trills) in virtually every bar - part of which purely defined this French courtly style and part as a means to sustain the notes on the early claviers prior to the invention of the sustaining pedel. Of course - like Scarlatti's many keyboard sonatas - this music was originally created for the harpsichord, but (right or wrong) some people just don't like the sound of the harpsichord (especially in an entire 70+ minute CD) and prefer their Baroque solo keyboard music in modern piano tones. Couperin's music sounds ideal for the harpsichord, but luckily for those who gravitate to the piano, Angela Hewitt plays this music most naturally and elegantly. Compared to the more introspective and melancholic pieces in Hewitt's Couperin Vol. II, this CD here shows an earlier Couperin in lighter, more festive and distinctly sprightly moods. The variety of mood, textures and pianistic effects is marvelous. It is the natural place to begin to explore these works out of the three CD's from Hyperion - one reason being Hewitt's eleven pages of background notes that give an excellent historical and musical introduction to the music overall.

While Couperin's music seems to include these 'grace notes' for just about every note (perhaps something of an "acquired taste"), Angela Hewitt does a beautiful job to artistically intergrate them into the overall tapestry and flow of the music - which is easier to do using the resources of the piano. Such music as Couperin fits well with Miss Hewitt's rather sweet, gentle and lyrical style. Probably the most notable example of this is pieces of pure innocence and charm like "le Tic-Toc-Choc" (track 14) where Hewitt's delicate, dancing rhythms and pianistic nuances produces a work of great delight. For sure such a piece would not sound as airy and charming on the harpsichord. In such works she takes full advantage of the nuanced dynamics of the modern piano to bring out more songful textures and shaded tones. Contrastingly, in the stately, processional pieces (such as the opening work and especially in the Passacaille at the end - one of Couperin's most monumental harpsichord works), Miss Hewitt accentuates the granduer of such works with convincing effect. Also especially in favor of the piano's subtletries are Couperin's slower movements which Hewitt plays with great affection, lyricism and fluidity. In these she finds their ponderous, emotional core with her soft, nuanced textures (Track 20). And especially in songs like the plaintive "La Verneuille" (Track 9), one can even sense a foreshadowing of "romantic" expressiveness, showing just how much Couperin's inventiveness was ahead of its time.

But, having read the Amazon reviews of both Hewitt Couperin sets, I was hesitant to purchase it because of some comments poor sound quality. But, I was quite happy with both the clear sound and style of this CD and felt the Hyperion engineers created a fitting sound environment for this type of music in particular- although it would probably be even better with a little less "spaciousness." It's sound environment sounds much like the "French Suites" recordings. Penguin Guide gave this CD (along with Vol. 2) a top 3/3 star rating along with a "Recommended Recording" nod. Similarly, ClassicsToday rated this CD a a perfect 10/10 for Artistry/Sound Quality and said this of the recording:

"Angela Hewitt's first of three projected Couperin releases may well become a paradigm, a reference point for future pianists wishing to explore this repertoire. Anyone who claims that a modern grand's sonority is too heavy or stylistically incongruous for doing justice to Couperin's delicate textures and intricate embellishments simply hasn't heard Hewitt. She's a master of balancing lines against each other so that they stay vibrant and alive at any tempo, scaling dynamics with the utmost subtlety, and timing cadences with perfectly spaced single notes or rolled chords. Notice, for example, how Hewitt's aptly chosen rubatos for Les Barricades Mistérieuses intensify the composer's intended phrase displacements, or how Hewitt's shifts in register replicate the harpsichord's two-manual effect without drawing attention to them. And I wager that Hewitt's early background as a dancer informs her unerring tempo choices. Hyperion's excellent engineering plus Hewitt's articulate, well-researched annotations enhance this altogether delectable release." --Jed Distler

One last thing I liked about this music was that the dynamic range is fairly consistent with not a lot of change from soft to loud - which makes it condusive to more casual listening. All together, this is a most enjoyable CD that is both highly inventive for its time but also "easy on the ear," as Hewitt is a natural for such music and makes it sound most appealing. Of course, this all assuming you take to this music on piano. I am enjoying this music much more than I thought I would and enthusiastically recommend it as well as Volume II. Five stars.