Couperin - Leçons de Ténèbres / Daneman, Petibon, Les Arts Florissants, Christie [Import]

François Couperin (Artist), William Christie (Artist), Sophie Daneman (Artist), Patricia Petibon (Artist), Monica Huggett (Artist), Marc Hantaï (Artist), Anne-Marie Lasla (Artist), Emilia Benjamin (Artist), Les Arts Florissants (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 6, 2006)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Warner Music France
• ASIN: B000005E4Y
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #135,955 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Premiere Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint: Incipit Lamentio - Sophie Daneman

2. Premiere Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint: Aleph - Sophie Daneman

3. Premiere Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint: Beth - Sophie Daneman

4. Premiere Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint: Ghimel - Sophie Daneman

5. Premiere Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint: Daleth - Sophie Daneman

6. Premiere Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint: He - Sophie Daneman

7. Premiere Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint: Jerusalem - Sophie Daneman

8. Deuxieme Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint A Une Voix: Vav - Patricia Petibon

9. Deuxieme Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint A Une Voix: Zain - Patricia Petibon

10. Deuxieme Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint A Une Voix: Heth - Patricia Petibon

11. Deuxieme Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint A Une Voix: Teth - Patricia Petibon

12. Deuxieme Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint A Une Voix: Jerusalem - Patricia Petibon

13. Trosieme Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint A Deux Voix: Yod - Patricia Petibon/Sophie Daneman

14. Trosieme Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint A Deux Voix: Caph - Patricia Petibon/Sophie Daneman

15. Trosieme Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint A Deux Voix: Lamed - Patricia Petibon/Sophie Daneman

16. Trosieme Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint A Deux Voix: Mem - Patricia Petibon/Sophie Daneman

17. Trosieme Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint A Deux Voix:Nun - Patricia Petibon/Sophie Daneman

18. Trosieme Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint A Deux Voix: Jerusalem - Patricia Petibon/Sophie Daneman

19. Quarte Versets Du Motet: Tabescere me facit - Sophie Daneman/Patricia Petibon

20. Quarte Versets Du Motet: Ignitum eloquium - Sophie Daneman

See all 22 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An exquisite shining pearl - perfect, simply perfect., April 30, 2004

By 

Ingrid Heyn "No man is an Iland, intire of it... (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Couperin - Leçons de Ténèbres / Daneman, Petibon, Les Arts Florissants, Christie (Audio CD)

I possess every recording of these leçons that is currently available. As a soprano with a deep love for the baroque repertoire, I have performed these with fellow singer Katrena Mitchell in our duet ensemble "Sounds Sublime". The pieces themselves are as familiar to me as a byte is to a computer expert...

... and there is simply no recording to compete with this one.

It's exquisite from the very opening. In particular when Sophie Daneman and Patricia Petibon sing together, the work between the two and the ravishing vocal blend is something of which dreams are made. The pronunciation of the Latin is beautifully French, as it would have been performed at the time. The ornamentation and musicianship here is superb, as one would expect from a recording conducted by William Christie.

But the two singers are the highlight here, in this most ravishing of performances.

I have an enormous admiration for Emma Kirkby, but the recording of this work with her and Judith Nelson is stiff, unemotional, and blank in comparison with this recording. (I do not admire Nelson's voice, either, however much I admire Kirkby's.) The vocal beauty on this recording is truly sublime - this CD is one I listen to over and over again, always with a sigh and a smile.

Other versions, including a surprisingly bland rendition by Gens and Sandrine Piau, and two good countertenor versions and one not-so-good (oh dear, Deller...) are available, but nothing approaches the shimmering beauty of this version.

The pieces themselves are of heavenly beauty. I've never performed them without seeing audience members weeping with the beauty of the music.

I recommend this CD strongly.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous, rare recording of the Tenebrae by Couperin, November 25, 2006

By 

Joanna Daneman (Middletown, DE USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Couperin - Leçons de Ténèbres / Daneman, Petibon, Les Arts Florissants, Christie (Audio CD)

The service of Tenebrae (time of darkness--traditionally celebrated at 3 am) is a Holy Week liturgy taken from the Lamentations of Jeremiah. The other reason for the title "Darkness" is that it is accompanied by the solemn ceremony of stripping the altar before the total eclipse of Good Friday. Lighting is gradually reduced throughout the service, initially being fully lit, frequently by candles which are gradually extinguished as the service progresses, thus the name Tenebrae meaning Darkness is virtually performed as well.



Couperin's settings (composed in 1703) uses a few voices and few instrumentals in the French tradition of the service. This recording features sopranos Patricia Petibon and Sophie Daneman. The performance follows the French tradition also in the pronunciation of the Latin. The conductor took great care to reproduce the performance as the French would have heard it, and if you want the genuine experience, this recording surely comes the closest (as far as we can tell, from historical records.)

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Couperin - Lecons de Tenebres/ The Lamentations of Jeremiah, February 22, 2008

By 

I. Fernandez (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Couperin - Leçons de Ténèbres / Daneman, Petibon, Les Arts Florissants, Christie (Audio CD)

Years ago I heard Judith Nelson and Emma Kirkby perform this beautiful work from Couperin and fell in love with it. However since my first listening I have heard Alfred Deller's version, which is alright, but I have also heard many wonderful reviews about this recording. So I decided to recently purchase it for my boss who's an avid lover of classical music as a Christmas present. She found it quite lovely and when I heard it, I was mesmerized! The quality of the voices and the singers' phrasing is impeccable!! I even love that Sophie Daneman articulates the Latin with a French accent giving Couperin's work and text even more credibility. The quality of the recording is quite clear, and listening to it at work, I feel like I am in a cathedral experiencing the actual performance. I highly recommend this C.D.!!!