F. Couperin: Ariane consolée par Bacchus, Apothéoses de Lully & de Corelli Christophe Rousset

• François Couperin (1668-1733): Ariane consolée par Bacchus
• 1I. Récitatif Sur les bords d’une île sauvage...01:15
• 2II. Air Amour, vante cette fois...05:04
• 3III. Récitatif Ariane en cette langueur…01:07
• 4IV. Air Pouvez-vous pleurer un barbare ?03:15
• 5V. Récitatif Tandis qu’il parle ainsi, la princesse en soi-même...01:04
• 6VI. Air Chantons sans fin...02:46
• L'Apothéose de Lully
• 7I. Lully aux Champs Élysées, concertant avec les Ombres lyriques02:29
• 8II. Air pour les mêmes02:16
• 9III. Vol de Mercure aux Champs Élysées pour avertir qu’Apollon y va descendre00:35
• 10IV. Descente d’Apollon qui vient offrir son violon à Lully et sa place au Parnasse02:23
• 11V. Rumeur souterraine causée par les Auteurs contemporains de Lully00:35
• 12VI. Plaintes des mêmes pour des flûtes ou des violons très adoucis03:38
• 13VII. Enlèvement de Lully au Parnasse01:05
• 14VIII. Accueil entre doux et hagard fait à Lully par Corelli et par les Muses italiennes02:45
• 15IX. Remerciement de Lully à Apollon02:46
• 16X. Essai en forme d'ouverture. Lully et les Muses françaises, Corelli et les Muses italiennes04:15
• 17XI. Lully jouant le sujet, et Corelli l’accompagnant00:43
• 18XII. Corelli jouant le sujet à son tour, que Lully accompagne01:36
• La Paix du Parnasse
• 19I. Sonade en trio02:17
• 20II. Saillie01:41
• 21III. Rondement01:12
• 22IV. Vivement02:01
• Le Parnasse ou l’Apothéose de Corelli
• 23I. Corelli au pied du Parnasse prie les Muses de le recevoir parmi elles (Grande Sonade en trio)02:05
• 24II. Corelli charmé de la bonne réception qu’on lui fait au Parnasse, en marque sa joie. Il continue avec ceux qui l’accompagnent (Grande Sonade en trio)02:36
• 25III. Corelli buvant à la source d’Hippocrène. Sa troupe continue (Grande Sonade en trio)02:01
• 26IV. Enthousiasme de Corelli causé par les eaux d’Hippocrène (Grande Sonade en trio)01:18
• 27V. Corelli, après son enthousiasme, s’endort et sa troupe joue le sommeil suivant. Très doux (Grande Sonade en trio)02:52
• 28VI. Les Muses réveillent Corelli et le placent auprès d’Apollon (Grande Sonade en trio)00:54
• 29VII. Remerciement de Corelli (Grande Sonade en trio)02:22
• Total Runtime01:00:56

Info for F. Couperin: Ariane consolée par Bacchus, Apothéoses de Lully & de Corelli

Christophe Rousset, Les Talens Lyriques and Stéphane Degout - F. Couperin: Ariane consolée par Bacchus, Apothéoses de Lully & de Corelli: The genius of François Couperin (1668-1733) whispers precious secrets in Christophe Rousset's ear, which he reveals to us in this new recording. Here, the cantata Ariane consolée par Bacchusis unveiled in preview, served by a dream cast.

Whereas in early September Actes Sud will publish the monograph he devoted to François Couperin, Christophe Rousset wanted to carry out the project of recording the composer's complete (or almost!) catalogue. This first release on the Aparté label is the forerunner of a boxed set on the occasion of the composer's 250th birthday.

Couperin came from a dynasty of musicians very much in the public eye, starting with the beginning of the reign of Louis XIV. This dynasty would remain important after the death of Francois Couperin, who was called Couperin le Grand ('the Great'). Even though chosen personally by the Sun King, the musician's life was not particularly interesting, going from the organ of St-Gervais in Paris to that of the Chapelle Royale at Versailles. Although France quickly forget him after his death, which coincided with the affirmation of Rameau's genius, the Germans, following J. S. Bach, would consider him the most accomplished expression of French genius in the 18th century.

Christophe Rousset, harpsichord, direction
Les Talens Lyriques
Stéphane Degout, baritone
Christophe Coin, viol
Laura Mónica Pustilnik, lute
Atsushi Sakai, viol
Gilone Gaubert-Jacques, violine
Virginie Descharmes, violine
Jocelyn Daubigney, flute
Stefanie Troffaes, flute
Gilles Vanssons, oboe
Vincent Blanchard, oboe

Christophe Rousset
the founder of the Les Talens Lyriques and an internationally renowned harpsichordist, is a musician and an orchestral conductor inspired by a passion for opera and the rediscovery of the European musical heritage.

After harpsichord studies at La Schola Cantorum in Paris with Huguette Dreyfus, followed by the Conservatoire Royal in The Hague with Bob van Asperen (winning, at the age of 22, the prestigious First Prize in the 7th Bruges Harpsichord Competition), and followed in turn by the creation of his own ensemble, Les Talens Lyriques, in 1991, Christophe Rousset has a perfect grasp of the richness and diversity of the Baroque, Classical and Preromantic repertoires.

After initially attracting attention for his extraordinary talent as a harpsichordist, he soon made his mark as a conductor, with invitations from around the world to perform with his ensemble (Opéra de Paris, De Nederlandse Opera, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Salle Pleyel, Opéra de Lausanne, Teatro Real, Theater an der Wien, Opéra Royal de Versailles, Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, Barbican Centre, Carnegie Hall, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the Aix-en-Provence and Beaune Festivals, to name but a few venues).

Alongside this, he has continued to pursue an active career as harpsichordist and chamber musician, performing and recording on the most beautiful period instruments. His complete performances of the works for harpsichord of F. Couperin, Rameau, d’Anglebert and Forqueray and various recordings of pieces by J. S. Bach (Partitas, Variations Goldberg, Concertos for harpsichord, English Suites, French Suites, Klavierbüchlein) are considered landmarks. His most recent recording of another musical monument by the German Cantor, the 2nd book of the Well-tempered Clavier (Aparté) – a recording made in the Château of Versailles on a Joannes Ruckers harpsichord (1628) – has been awarded a number of honours, including a “Choc” from Classica magazine and CD of the week from Britain’s Radio 3. The instruments of the Paris Museum of Music have also been entrusted to him for the recording of three CDs of music by Royer, Rameau and Froberger.

Teaching is also an aspect with major importance for Christophe Rousset, who conducts and organises master classes and academies for young people (Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, CNSMDs Paris, Académie d’Ambronay, Orchestre Français des Jeunes Baroques, Jeune Orchestre Atlantique, Junge Deutsche Philharmonie, the Britten-Pears Orchestra) and he devotes himself with great energy, alongside the musicians of Les Talens Lyriques, to introducing young secondary school pupils in Paris and the surrounding region to the world of music.

Christophe also has a career as guest conductor (Liceu Barcelona, San Carlo Naples, La Scala Milan, Opéra Royal de Wallonie, Orquesta Nacional de España and the Hong Kong Philharmonic, Orchestre du Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, among other orchestras) as well as the active pursuit of musical research, with the production of critical editions and the publication by Actes Sud of a study on Rameau in 2007.

Christophe Rousset has been awarded the French honours of Chevalier of the Légion d’honneur, Commandeur in the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and Chevalier in the Ordre national du Mérite.

This album contains no booklet.