Pierre Hantaï: François Couperin Harpsichord Works

Mirare MIR027
(www.amazon.com)

The composer François Couperin (1668–1733) and his fellow seventeenth-century Frenchmen believed, says historian Wilfrid Mellers, that for our own “spiritual health, as well as society’s,” we must be considerate of our fellow man.

Grace and elegance, poise and balance were treasured, and this equilibrium is ideally translated in the magical playing of Frenchman Pierre Hantaï, one of the world’s top virtuosos on his instrument. Couperin’s “Les folies françaises” (“French Frenzies”) is a series of short pieces, each representing a different human emotion, including ardor, hope, fidelity, and perseverance. Listening to this CD, we feel better about the potentials of human behavior.