Today’s recording is of the final movement of Francois Couperin’s 25th Ordre in E flat major/c minor, called Les Ombers Errantes (The Wandering Shadows). In this Ordre, every piece has interesting and exciting titles, for example: Le Visionnaire (The Visionary), Le Mysterieuse (The Mysterious). Such titles are commonplace in French baroque harpsichord music, and especially in Couperin’s case, these titles are programmatic.
Before getting into the details, I would like to write a few words regarding French clavecine music. It originates from earlier lute music, and uses similar sounding techniques to it. French harpsichordists’ magic is in its fine details: unique ornamentation which is frequently used, ‘inégal’ (uneven) rhythms, and the clever use of the rondeau form. These mentioned characteristics are true for Les Ombres Errantes too. It is important to mention that Couperin wrote a book about playing the harpsichord (L’art de toucher le clavecin, 1716).
Blandine Verlet, French harpsichordist, was famous for her performances of Couperin’s music which she felt deeply connected to, and I think that this connection can be heard in the intimate atmosphere of this specific recording too. In her interpretation, the piece’s ‘languissament’ (languish) and slightly mysterious character really stands out. We can hear a ‘wandering’ syncopation throughout the piece, creating suspended harmonies, always waiting to be resolved.
Noémi Baki-Szmaler, guest editor - @une-barque-sur-l-ocean
