The complete organ Masses of the Grand master of French Baroque, Francois Couperin.
Couperin was a keyboard virtuoso, both on the harpsichord and organ; he wrote these Masses as principal organist of the St. Gervais Church in Paris. The ornamental French style of Couperin is blended with Italian influences with the emphasis on fluent melodic lines and daring chromaticisms in harmony.
New recording, by international prize winning organist Adriano Falcioni (who already recorded the organ works of Cesar Franck, BC 94349) and the female vocal group Armoniosoincanto.
François Couperin, the most important member of the renowned Couperin dynasty, is the foremost composer of the French Baroque. A prodigiously talented keyboard player, he inherited the post of organist at the church of St Gervais in Paris when he was just eleven years old, subsequently dividing his time between the capital and Versailles upon becoming organiste du Roi in 1693. Spanning two CDs, this recording focuses on two works associated with the organ in the former church: Messe pour les couvents and the Messe pour les paroisses. The florid ornamentation that is so characteristic of the French Baroque is present in much of Couperin’s work.
However, Couperin was heavily influenced by the Italian style which, as well as the influences of opera and the cantata, can be heard throughout the Messe pour les couvents. In Couperin’s time, composition for the Mass was heavily regulated, but a lack of regulation with regard to the Offertory allowed the composer more freedom to explore chromaticism in this work. The Offertories of both Masses are treated on a particularly grand scale, and are highlights of this recording.
Adriano Falcioni, a leading European organist, has been a finalist and prizewinner of many international competitions. Having already recorded Cesar Franck’s Complete Organ Music for Brilliant Classics, he is joined on this recording by female vocal ensemble Armoniosoincanto, whose voices are renowned for their pure and distinctive tones. This winning combination of performers makes the recording a must-buy.
