Clavecins concertants

Description

Olivier Fortin and Emmanuel Frankenberg present a program of transcriptions of French orchestral works for two harpsichords: "This practice was common in the 17th and 18th centuries to replay popular tunes heard at the opera at home or in salons." Among others, we find the famous Sauvages by Rameau, that "hit" of the era which was first written for harpsichord alone, then orchestrated by the composer for Les Indes galantes. Here we hear a version re-adapted for two harpsichords, closer to the orchestral version. Also on the program are works by Marin Marais, Jean-Henri d'Anglebert, Jacques Champion de Chambonnières, Louis Couperin, and Nicolas Lebègue. Longtime collaborators, Fortin and Frankenberg chose instruments whose colors suit the French style and clearly took great pleasure in composing this musical journey: "We searched a lot, experimented, went through an enormous amount of repertoire, very freely tested many possibilities at the keyboard to find what sounded best for two... If it's true that one harpsichord sounds like a harpsichord, two harpsichords sound like four! With two, we can go much further in sound."