Christopher Hogwood – Louis Couperin: Suites for Harpsichord (1990)

When these suites by Louis Couperin were first issued their release coincided with Davitt Moroney's all-embracing survey for Harmonia Mundi, now on four CDs (4/90), of the composer's complete solo harpsichord music. Prior to that, the field belonged mainly to Gustav Leonhardt and Laurence Boulay (Harmonia Mundi and Erato, respectively—both nla). More recently, the French harpsichordist Blandine Verlet has entered the lists with two discs on Astree (see review above) with the promise, indeed assurance of more to come.
When LS reviewed Christopher Hogwood's recording on its initial release he wrote of the pieces, ''each time one hears them one is struck afresh by their quality and the subtlety of their writing''. How right he is for, at times, as I have remarked in earlier reviews, this gifted member of the Couperin family strikes my ears as being comfortably on a level with his nephew le grand. Louis Couperin did not write ''suites'' as such, but grouped his pieces according to keys, leaving the performer to make up suites with pieces of his or her own choice. Thus, in comparing the various available recordings we encounter individual duplications rather than wholescale repetition of entire suites.
Hogwood has a fluent and assured way with this often elusive style. His preludes without barlines come over with lyricism and a feeling for poetry. On the other hand some of the other movements, chaconnes, for example, lack a nobility, a sense of grandeur which I feel are inherent in the music. It is here, above all, perhaps, that Hogwood is at variance with Moroney and Verlet. It is more a matter of feeling, of intuition than of style for there is no question of Hogwood having misunderstood the idiom. Indeed his wonderfully fluid account of the great ''Tombeau de Monsieur de Blancrocher'' is proof in itself that he is very much au courant with the French keyboard school. In short, a largely satisfying recital but I shall always want to hear a variety of approaches to the music of this affectingly eloquent composer. Fine recorded sound.'