Suite in F: Prelude, Allemande grave, Courante, Sarabande, Branle de Basque, Gigue, Gaillarde, Chaconne, Tombeau de M. De Blancrocher;
Suite in G min: Prelude, Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Passacaille;
Suite in C: Prelude, Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Passacaille;
Suite in C min: Prelude Allemande la precieuse, Courante, Sarabande, Gigue, Chaconne la Bergeronnette;
Suite in D min: Prelude, Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Canaries, Volte, La Pastourelle, Chaconne, Prelude à l'imitation de Mr Froberger, Allemande, l'amiable, Courante La Mignone, Sarabande, La Piemontoise, Pavanne

Christophe Rousset (harpsichord Louis Denis 1658 restored by Reinhard von Nagel 2004-5)

Christophe Rousset is one of the most brilliant harpsichordists of his generation, whose recordings have been hailed by the international press, including those of François Couperin for harmonia mundi. This is the first time he has recorded works by Louis Couperin. He preferred not to record the complete works, as he explains:

“For this recording, we have selected the very finest pieces by Louis Couperin. We ruled out the idea of performing all the pieces - that has already been done by some of our eminent colleagues. We did not want to have three Courantes in succession or a Chaconne and a Passacaille following each other in the same key, nor for the suites to be unnecessarily long, and lacking the coherence and pertinence that the form requires. Although the material available would have enabled us to put together several suites, we decided to present just one suite in F or in A. And generally we have followed the order of Parville rather than of Bauyn. Thus, I believe, the listener will be able to apprehend Louis Couperin at his most expressive, in the richness of his harmonies and rhetoric, and in the subtle contrasts that make him one of the most amazing precursors not only of his nephew François Couperin, le grand, but also of Jean-Baptiste Lully.”