The Complete Works

Impressive gift for the 400th anniversary Just like the Bach family in Germany, the Couperins formed an important dynasty of musicians and composers in France. One of the greatest members of this dynasty, Louis Couperin, will celebrate his 400th anniversary in 2026. For Jean Rondeau, this is a welcome opportunity to honor him with a very special gift: a ten-part complete edition of his harpsichord and organ works, which the imaginative and unconventional early music expert has recorded at inspiring locations on historical instruments or replicas thereof. A more sumptuous approach to the musical world of Louis Couperin, one of the most exceptional geniuses at the court of Louis XIV, is hardly conceivable. "I think this project is one of the most important in my life as a harpsichordist," says Jean Rondeau, who on his last album Gradus ad Parnassum (2023) had drawn a sonorous arc from Palestrina to Debussy and now returns to the core period of his repertoire. Regarding Louis Couperin's relationship with the harpsichord and organ, he said: "He knew how to make these instruments resonate and vibrate like no one before him and probably no one after him." In addition to suites, individual movements and sacred compositions by the dedicatee, the box also contains works by Couperin's pupils and by contemporary composers such as Johann Jakob Froberger and Jacques Champion de Chambonnières, who had an important influence on Couperin. On a bonus DVD, Louis Couperin: The Complete Works also presents a documentary made at the Unterlinden Museum in Colmar, in which Jean Rondeau provides insight into the background of the project.