Ketil Haugsand - G.B. Antoine & Jean Baptiste Forqueray: Pieces de Viole mises en Pieces de Clavecin (2011)
Artist: Ketil Haugsand
Title: G.B. Antoine & Jean Baptiste Forqueray: Pieces de Viole mises en Pieces de Clavecin
Year Of Release: 2011
Label: Simax Classics
Genre: Classical
Quality: FLAC (tracks + .cue)
Total Time: 02:08:53
Total Size: 825 MB
WebSite: Album Preview
Tracklist:Title: G.B. Antoine & Jean Baptiste Forqueray: Pieces de Viole mises en Pieces de Clavecin
Year Of Release: 2011
Label: Simax Classics
Genre: Classical
Quality: FLAC (tracks + .cue)
Total Time: 02:08:53
Total Size: 825 MB
WebSite: Album Preview
DISC 1
1re. Suite
01 1. Allemande. La Laborde. Noblement et avec Sentiment 5:26
02 2. La Forqueray. Vivement et d'aplomb 3:44
03 3. La Cottin. Galamment sans lenteur 2:39
04 4. La Bellmont. Avec Gout et sans lenteur 3:51
05 5. La Portugaise. Marque et d'aplomb 3:39
06 6. La Couperin. Moblement et marque 4:25
2e. Suite
07 1. La Bouron. Vivement et detache 3:17
08 2. La Mandoline. Point trop vite et d'aplomb 4:10
09 3. La du Breuil. Loure 4:02
10 4. La Leclair. Tres vivement et detache 3:02
11 5. La Buisson Chaconne. Gratieusement 5:33
3e. Suite
12 1. La Ferrand. Detache, et d'une belle execution 4:43
13 2. La Regente. Noblement et Soutenu 4:28
14 3. La Tronchin. Mouvement aise 3:48
15 4. La Angrave. Tres vivement 2:47
16 5. La du Vaucel. Tres tendrement 4:42
17 6. La Eynaud. Fierement 2:40
18 7. La Morangis ou La Plissay. Mouvement de Chaconne 7:40
DISC 2
4e. Suite
01 1. La Marella. Vivement et Marque 3:08
02 2. La Clement. Noblement et detache 3:48
03 3. Sarabande. La D'aubonne 4:18
04 4. La Bournonville. Mouvement eleve 2:57
05 5. La Saincy. Gracieusement et avec Esprit 2:57
06 6. Le Carillon de Passy. Legerement sans vitesse 2:41
07 La Latour. D'un mouvement unpeu plus vif que la precedente piece 1:54
08 Le Carillon, d.c. 3:03
5e. Suite
09 1. La Rameau. Majesteusement 3:36
10 2. La Guignon. Vivement et detache 4:45
11 3. La Leon. Sarabande. Tendrement 4:29
12 4. La Boisson. Vivement, les pinces bien soutenus 3:57
13 5. La Montigni. Galamment sans lenteur 3:11
14 6. La Sylva. Tres tendrement 5:31
15 7. Jupiter. Moderement 3:43
This double-disc set might seem to be an item for Baroque specialists only, but general listeners should sample it as well; it's quite lovely, and its history has a labor-of-love aspect that comes through in the playing by Norwegian harpsichordist Ketil Haugsand, a specialist in the music of Jean-Baptiste Forqueray. He built the harpsichord himself and finally managed to record these pieces after several false starts. Jean-Baptiste was the son of viol virtuoso and composer Antoine Forqueray. Their relationship might be described as dysfunctional: the father, who according to Haugsand was jealous of his son's musical talents, had him imprisoned on trumped-up charges of consorting with "lowlife women." Nevertheless, after Antoine's death, Jean-Baptiste Forqueray presented these harpsichord arrangements of his father's viol pieces. He retitled and altered them a bit in the process, and there's a bit of a question as to how many of his own contributions there are in the music. Be that as it may, these are unique in the vast realm of French keyboard suites. They are kept low in the harpsichord's range, in order, according to Forqueray, to emulate the register of the viola da gamba, and they are melodic and imbued with a free and somehow meditative quality. They sound very little like the suites of either Couperin or Rameau, with ornamentation subtly rather than brilliantly applied. Superior studio recording by German Radio in Cologne for the Norwegian label Simax Classics is another attraction in this offbeat Baroque pick. -- James Manheim
