Keyboard Music vol. 3

"Till Angela Hewitt decided to give her attention to these works, the pieces recorded on this disc were either neglected or forgotten altogether. With this third volume of excerpts from the harpsichord music of Francois Couperin, Hewitt concludes her personal and far reaching survey of the French master's keyboard works, and being the baroque expert that she is, music which was previously considered the exclusive reign of the harpsichord can be winningly transferred to the modern piano. Her mammoth J.S. Bach undertaking is ample testimony to this. Contrary to her programming on the previous two volumes, Hewitt here only performs one complete 'Ordre' (Suite) – the widely entertaining 13th with its wicked parody of a perverse masked ball. She also tackles 4 pieces from the 14th and as if to celebrate her joy at having successfully ended her task, she performs a wide selection of her favourite pieces taken from Suites not previously featured.

Couperin once said; 'I love much better the things which touch me than those which surprise me'. He wanted music to affect people and these pieces do just that. Full of grace, joy, light heartedness and at times even melancholy and tender sadness. These hidden miniatures also possess a hidden power that arrests the mind and touches the heart.

Hewitt's mini literary masterpiece is not only cause for exaltation, but also a source of encouragement to all those who are not familiar with such a refined style of music. An inspirational issue to complete a memorable mini-cycle which should delight and entertain those who are prepared to let themselves be regaled by these French delicacies."
(ClassicalNet)

With this third volume Angela Hewitt concludes her personal survey of Couperin's keyboard music and proves that, in the hands of someone as steeped in Baroque keyboard style as herself, music which was previously thought the exclusive domain of the harpsichordist can be successfully transferred to the modern piano.