Ravishing second release on The King’s Consort’s new classical label, Vivat, features world-renowned British soprano Carolyn Sampson and outstanding Norwegian mezzo Marianne Beate Kielland in entrancingly evocative French Baroque music.

Couperin’s three “Leçons” for Holy Week are vividly atmospheric, highly coloured, richly dissonant, and deeply melancholy, presenting music of an intensity that is quite unique in Baroque sacred repertoire. The third Leçon is an especial jewel, with gloriously intertwining vocal lines.

Alongside the three extraordinary “Leçons” come two further substantial vocal duets by Couperin: a joyous Easter motet and a fine setting of the Magnificat.

The full-length 79’40” disc also includes stunning solo instrumental tracks, with Gramophone award-winning viol player Susanne Heinrich performing music by Marin Marais and Monsieur de Ste-Colombe (composers featured in the film “Tous les Matins du Monde”).

Recorded at “low” French baroque pitch, A=392, giving unparalleled richness to the vocal and instrumental sonorities, with high quality documentation and first-rate engineering.