FRANÇOIS COUPERIN (1668–1733)
Les Nations
Premier Ordre « La Françoise »
Deuxième Ordre « L’Espagnole »
Troisième Ordre « L’Impériale » *
Quatrième Ordre « La Piémontoise » *
Jacobean Ensemble
Neville Marriner, violin
Carl Pini, violin
Desmond Dupré, viola da gamba
Thurston Dart, harpsichord & director
Pièces de violes*
Suite No. 1 in E minor
Suite No. 2 in A major
Desmond Dupré, viola da gamba
Dennis Nesbitt, viola da gamba
Thurston Dart, harpsichord
*FIRST CD RELEASE ON DECCA
Recordings: 1957 (Pièces de violes); December 1958 (Les Nations: Troisième Ordre, Quatrième Ordre); January 1962 (Les Nations: Premier Ordre, Deuxième Ordre)
Original L’Oiseau-Lyre LP Releases: SOL 251 (Les Nations: Premier Ordre, Deuxième Ordre); SOL 60014 (Les Nations: Troisième Ordre, Quatrième Ordre); OL 50164 (Pièces de violes)
Remastering Engineer: Chris Bernauer
‘Dupré plays sensitively, and is fluent and convincing in ornamentation. Dennis Nesbitt … plays his part firmly but never too obtrusively … the harpsichord [is] here played with style and refinement by Thurston Dart.’ Gramophone, July 1958 (Pièces de violes)
‘This further instalment of Couperin’s chamber music by the Jacobean Ensemble is distinguished by the finesse of playing and a sense of style that is all too rare in modern recordings … The individual character of these pieces emerges vividly and naturally, and will surely give pleasure to all connoisseurs of French music.’ Gramophone, November 1962 (Les Nations)