Couperin, F: Apothéoses: Le Parnasse ou L'apothéose de Corelli, Grande Sonade, en Trio

In this vivid new recording, the Bach Players turn their attention to some of the musical currents that surrounded Bach.

Italian or French? Jean Baptiste Lully and Arcangelo Corelli were the champions of these two musical styles – and the main subjects of the many attempts to establish which was the better style. Or could the two styles be united? This programme paints a musical picture of the 17th -century in Europe, through the music of Corelli, Lully, and their contemporaries. Chief among the reconcilers was the organist and composer Georg Muffat. German but of Scottish ancestry, it was he who introduced both styles to Germany. Also included are Rebel’s homage to Lully and Couperin’s to Corelli.

The 20-page booklet includes an essay on this music by the composer Hugh Wood and photos from the recording session. The CD and booklet are held in a packet made of card and without plastic. The Bach Players’ last CD, Nun komm! French overtures by German composers, was received with universal enthusiasm. It was given an International Record Review ‘Outstanding’ award and made a Radio 3 CD Review ‘Disc of the Week’.

Philippe Pierlot and his superb Ricercar Consort present tributes to both Corelli and Lully with the two Apothéoses by François Couperin, written in the memory of Arcangelo Corelli and Jean-Baptiste Lully respectively. Behind them is an aesthetic programme: they are a plea for the mixture of the Italian and the French style, the so-called goûts réunis. The ensemble consists of Marc Hantaï and Georges Barthel (transverse flutes), François Fernandez and Sophie Gent (violins), Philippe Pierlot (viola da gamba), Eduardo Egüez (theorbo and guitar) and François Guerrier (harpsichord). Both pieces are given lively and expressive interpretations: Couperin's Apothéoses are in the tradition of the tombeau, and therefore the Tombeau de Monsieur de Lully by Jean-Féry Rebel fits well into the programme and is performed in between the two pieces by Couperin.

The Court of the Sun King is a 10CD set celebrating both the glories of the French Baroque and the glories of the Erato catalogue. For over half a century Erato has led the way in bringing this period of music out of libraries to the wider world of listeners. Many of their classic recordings from the 1960s and 70s, featuring French musicians and ensembles such as Jean-François Paillard, Louis Martini and Marie-Claire Alain, are now brought together for the first time. From grand sacred works by Charpentier to vivid theatrical pieces by Lully to intimate sonatas by Boismortier, The Court of the Sun King takes in the gamut of musical life in this period of exceptional cultural richness.