While Christophe Rousset’s Froberger’s Suites are to be released on Monday 3 May, the other recordings of the French harpsichordist are still being acclaimed all over the world. The following review comes from the Canadian Toronto Star newspaper.
★★★1/2 (out of 4)
French harpsichordist, period-instrument orchestra leader and Baroque opera conductor Christophe Rousset has a master showman's instinct about when to show off and when to pull back. It's been 27 years since the Aix-en-Provence native won the international harspsichord competition in Bruges, Belgium, and left a wave of expressive, engaging and meticulously researched music along the way.
His most exciting work has been in the French Baroque -- either as a soloist or as collaborator in larger works.
His recordings of the keyboard works of J.S. Bach are not new (they date from 2003 and 2004), but French label Naïve has assembled 5-1/4 hours of Rousset's recordings into a six-CD set of the French and English Suites, as well as the Little Keyboard Book for Wilhelm Friedemann. All were recorded at the Museum of Art and History in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, which has a J.S. Bach-period harpsichord made by Johannes Ruckers in its collection.
This set is a fantastic study in effortless sound. Rousset plays the Suites with as much poise and assurance as the easiest pieces Bach wrote for his son Wilhelm Friedemann. The clarity of the playing also allows us to appreciate the composer's boundless invention.
I have to admit that, for sustained listening, I prefer hearing the Suites on the piano rather than the instrument for which they were originally written. But for anyone keen on a true period sound and feel, you can't do much better than this.
By John Terauds
You can also read the article on the Toronto Star website.
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