1. Les Niais de Sologne
2. Les Soupirs
3. La Joyeuse
4. Les Tendres Plaintes
5. La Follette
6. L’Entretien des Muses
7. Les Tourbillons
8. Les Cyclopes
9. Le Rappel des Oiseaux
10. Deux Rigaudons
11. Musette en Rondeau
12. Tambourin
13. La Poule
14. Les Tricotets
15. L’Egyptienne
16. Fanfarinette
17. La Triomphante
18. Gavotte et Doubles
Jean-Philippe Rameau – Keyboard Works / Pièces de clavecin (1724, 1728)
This disc features pieces from three of the four suites Rameau wrote for the harpsichord. I have selected these to illustrate Rameau’s extraordinary talent in descriptive, innovative and often virtuosic writing, and to show how the piano can enhance the works through singing tone and tonal nuance. Virginia Black
| Artist | Virginia Black – piano |
|---|---|
| Reviews | "..This is early programme music, presenting a broad range of musical vignettes in thoroughly delightful and inexhaustibly inventive fashion. Of Virginia Black’s dexterity and mastery of her instrument, there is no question and she clearly loves and responds empathetically to the music." Ralph Moore MusicWeb "The nuances are infinitely subtle and, of course, reveal the differences between a harpsichord and a piano. Virginia Black generously generates, in the piano, all its sensitivity, evidencing the flexible and nuanced loudness of the pianistic timbre. In these pieces of innovative and virtuosic writing, the English pianist combines, with undeniable technical brilliance, an eloquent articulation and remarkable rhythmic flexibility. Virginia Black achieves that the basic elements of his version, singular and distinguished, be a tribute to the music of French Baroque. This album is a new success of the English label CRD." Sonograma Magazine "For her performance on modern piano of music by Rameau, Virginia Black carefully chooses some of the most characterful pieces from the composer’s 1724 and 1728 collections. She plays with energy and a crispness of articulation which makes her performances attractive to those who don’t mind their harpsichord music played on the piano – if I were to be persuaded of the virtues of the piano as a medium for this repertoire, this would be the sort of performance that would do it. However, even with Virginia Black’s expert execution, I found myself yearning for the extra clarity of the harpsichord. Yes, the piano is capable of dynamic variation, but it is clear that performers of the period found other ways to make the music expressive, and (by definition) each note in an ornamental figure rang out clearly making the decoration much more eloquent. Her choice of repertoire is impeccable and her playing style sympathetic to her chosen pieces." Early Music Review |
