<<  -- 2 --  Ron Bierman    COUPERIN SORTED

Given Couperin's expert and detailed writing for harpsichord and McIntyre's considerable knowledge of baroque performance, album notes could have spent more time discussing his predominant use of the piano, an instrument Couperin perhaps never even heard. A harpsichord appears here twice, each time introducing a piece the piano then picks up in a variation. This makes it easy to compare the differences. The harpsichord, as expected, fits the style of music better, but I'm far from a fanatic for historically accurate performance and McIntyre uses the piano's greater sonority and dynamic range effectively. Some of the music sounds positively romantic and The Carillon at Cythera never sounded more realistic [listen -- CD2 track 6, 3:37-4:33]. But did he use the piano because of its greater versatility or primarily because he wanted to make a teacher's point about how Couperin can be adapted?

These CDs will in any event be valuable for piano students. The rewards are more mixed for the average listener. Choice based on difficulty hasn't prevented a nicely varied program that begins with Pastoral and finishes with the rousing Triumph. Many pieces, especially those with a tender mood, are played with passionate affection. Others would benefit from slightly brighter tempos and more sparkle in the ornamentation. There isn't much recorded competition. Pianists do use Couperin transcriptions and these sometimes appear in recorded recitals, but I'm not aware of other piano disks devoted solely to him.

On balance, although the piano has some fine moments, I'd opt for harpsichord. Several excellent multiple CD sets have been issued over the years. Of those currently available, Rousset on Harmonia Mundi is a strong choice.

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