William Christie - Couperin: Lecons de Tenebres (1997)

It figures that the ensemble most responsible for the French Baroque revival is the one to outdo Nelson and Kirkby's legendary recording of these lamentation settings. Sophie Daneman and Patricia Petibon don't have the earlier pair's gorgeous, distinctive voices (both occasionally wobble above the staff), but they sound plenty beautiful. More importantly, they've managed to make these major-key pieces sound like lamentations. Twenty years ago, Kirkby and Nelson were pioneers: merely singing with their white tone was risky; they couldn't take many chances with rhythmic freedom. Daneman and Petibon have had time to internalize Couperin's style: they can push ahead here, hold back there, extend an unaccompanied phrase and let it drop off suddenly--following rhetoric more than rhythm, they take your breath away. --Matthew Westphal