FRENCH BAROQUE WITH CHRISTOPHE ROUSSET

FRANÇOIS COUPERIN:
«PIÈCES DE VIOLES» – PREMIÈRE SUITE EN MI MINEUR
LEÇONS DE TÉNÈBRES

MICHÈLE BRÉANT, soprano
SUZANNE JÉROSME, soprano
ATSUSHI SAKAÏ, viola da gamba
CHRISTOPHE ROUSSET, harpsichord and musical direction

Highlight from the French Baroque

The world-famous harpsichordist and conductor Christophe Rousset performs together with the renowned sopranos Michèle Bréant and Suzanne Jérosme, as well as the critically acclaimed viola da gamba player Atsushi Sakaï. On the program, we find Leçons de Ténèbres and the first suite from Pièces de violes by the French baroque composer François Couperin. Leçons de Ténèbres, written for the Holy Week in 1713, is today considered to be Couperin’s foremost contribution to church music. This specific church music genre has roots as far back as the Renaissance, and the text – directly translated to “lessons of darkness” – is taken from the Book of Lamentations in the Bible, with the story about the destruction of Jerusalem 2600 years ago as its backdrop. The contrast between the beauty of the music and the text’s dwelling on the brutality of war, is striking in Couperin’s work. Rousset says about Couperin’s work:

Leçons de Ténèbres is the absolute pinnacle of Baroque music. The Christian faith was a given at the time, and Couperin’s devotion shines through his music, with an intensity that is truly overwhelming. It is a revelation every time you listen to the work, and even after performing it so many times, I still find joy in returning to it: with new voices, the music receives a new timbre and a new meaning. Jeremiah’s lamentations are deeply personal, and at the concert during the festival, the sopranos are the ones carrying them. Michèle and Suzanne’s voices are fleeting, transparent, and lift us up. Couperin surpasses everything: it is at the same level as Bach’s “Mass in B minor” and Monteverdi’s “Vesper”.

Rousset and his co-musicians perform Première suite en mi mineur from “Pièces de violes”, which is assumed to be written as a homage to Marin Marais, the great virtuoso of the viola da gamba. Couperin’s Pièces de Violes, released in 1728, is today considered a masterpiece of baroque chamber music, and a highlight of the repertoire for viola da gamba.

François Couperin (1668–1733)

“Pièces de violes”(1728)
Première suite en mi mineur
1. Prélude
2. Allemande
3. Courante
4. Sarabande
5. Gavotte
6. Gigue
7. Chaconne ou Passacaille

“Trois leçons de ténebres pour le mercredi saint”(1713–1717)
Christophe Rousset is a world-leading conductor and harpsichordist, and the founder of Les Talens Lyriques, for whom he is also the artistic director and conductor. He studied the harpsichord at Schola Cantorum in Paris and at Koninklijk Conservatorium in Haag. Rousset is known for his work with music from the Baroque and Classical periods, and has with Les Talens Lyriques garnered great acclaim for his interpretations of the great master-pieces of music history. In addition, he has a burning passion for digging up unknown works from European art music heritage, and with the ensemble, he performs pieces that receive little attention otherwise, with an unsurpassed stylistic precision.
Suzanne Jérosme is a French soprano trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and Hochschule für Musik und Tanz. She has been singing at, among others, the Opéra Royal de Versailles, Opéra national de Lorraine, Theater an der Wien, Concertgebouw, La Scala, and Bayreuth Baroque Opera Festival, with conductors such as Philippe Jaroussky, Leonardo García Alarcón, Jean-Christophe Spinosi, and Christophe Rousset. Her repertoire spans Mozart, Massenet, and Britten to Baroque operas by Handel and Porpora.
Atsushi Sakaï has dedicated his time and energy to the viola da gamba throughout his musical career, and has established himself as one of the most respected viola da gamba-players of his generation. He plays both solo concerts and chamber music together with artists such as Christophe Rousset and Marion Martineau, and has performed at some of Europe’s most prestigious venues, such as Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Wiener Konzerthaus, Queen Elizabeth Hall, and Cité de la musique in Paris. In 2016, he released his first solo album at the label Aparté, with a recording of Forqueray’s five complete suites. Sakaï is also the founder of the viola da gamba ensemble Sit Fast. The group has quickly gained recognition and is now performing at important French stages and festivals.
Michèle Bréant – named “Talent ADAMI lyrique 2024” – is one of Europe’s most promising young sopranos. She has performed at venues such as La Seine Musicale, Oper Leipzig, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and De Munt in Brussels, in roles such as Susanna (Le nozze de Figaro), Euridice (Orfeo), and Zerlina (Don Giovanni). Bréant is educated from Hochschule für Musik in Leipzig and Université Paris Diderot, and has worked with, among others, Anne Sofie von Otter, Thomas Quasthoff, and Philippe Jaroussky.

Photo: Christophe Rousset: Keith Saunders, Atsushi Saka: Sofia Albaric

PROGRAM

Christophe Rousset

Suzanne Jérosme

Atsushi Sakaï

Michèle Bréant