Leçons de Ténèbres

The Office of Tenebrae was enormously popular in France during the 17th and 18th centuries. It was strictly structured and also had a genuine theatrical dimension, particularly through the use of light and the gradual extinguishing of a candle after each lesson. The three Leçons de Ténèbres by François Couperin are a skillful blend of theatrical writings that express the deeply moving text of the Lamentations of Jeremiah with ghostly recitations of Hebrew letters (Aleph, Beth, Caph...). This music is often associated with the women's voices of convents and abbeys, although religious houses for men such as Jesuit houses also celebrated Tenebrae with music. Louis-Noël Bestion de Camboulas has chosen to record this programme with male voices, a choice that reveals unexpected new colours and textures in the music. The album also contains Lalande's Miserere, again with male voices: haute-contre, taille and basse.