Delicate, sparkling and perhaps surprisingly touching, here are three short diversions from the various trials of modern life – written 300 years ago by Couperin and brilliantly rewritten in 2006 by Thomas Adès who takes obvious delight in the sound of music.
Listening time 20′ [podcast intro 7′, music 13′]
Francois Couperin liked nice titles – we’re listening to The amusements, Sleight of hand and The soul in torment from his Pieces for Harpsichord.
Music here on youtube or Spotify:
Please leave a comment below and tell me what you think! Your feedback is important!
Thanks for listening!
Hi! Great episode, I found the sound of Adès’ arrangement extremely surprising and yet perfectly suited to a modern rendition of Couperin. And your descriptions of his pieces are quite beautiful.
What is the piece you use as an example of the sound of the harpsichord? Thanks! (P.S. I found this episode as I was looking for more info on the Adès arrangements. I’ll be listening to more of the podcast now.)
Hi! I’m delighted that you found – and enjoyed – this.
The harpsichord excerpt was from Couperin’s Pièces de clavecin II: Septième ordre: Les Amusements. Played, I’m fairly sure, by Gustav Leonhardt.
Thanks for taking the time to write, it really means a lot to hear from people and to know that Cacophony is reaching people and making a little difference. Thanks for listening!
PS – yes, great pieces aren’t they!