Leçons de Ténèbres

On this CD:

1. Leçon du Mercredi
Composed by Michel-Richard Delalande

2. Pavane in F sharp minor
Composed by Louis Couperin

3. Leçon du Jeudi
Composed by Michel-Richard Delalande

4. Suite for harpsichord, No 20 in D major
Composed by Johann Jacob Froberger

5. Leçon du Vendredy
Composed by Michel-Richard Delalande

Leçons de Ténèbres, Music, Louis Couperin, Michel-Richard Delalande, Johann Jacob Froberger, Choral, Classical, Keyboard, Non-Mass Liturgical Service, Orchestral & Symphonic, Pavane for Keyboard, Suite/Partita for Keyboard

Couperin - Leçons de Ténèbres / Daneman, Petibon, Les Arts Florissants, Christie
Average customer rating:

Fabulous

Couperin, Lecon de tenebres

Gorgeous, rare recording of the Tenebrae by Couperin

An exquisite shining pearl - perfect, simply perfect.

Couperin - Leçons de Ténèbres / Daneman, Petibon, Les Arts Florissants, Christie
François Couperin , William Christie , Sophie Daneman , Patricia Petibon , Monica Huggett , Marc Hantaï , Anne-Marie Lasla , Emilia Benjamin , and Les Arts Florissants
Manufacturer: Wea International
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Couperin, François | ( C ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
Christie, William | ( C ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
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Rameau - Dardanus / Ainsley, Gens, Naouri, Delunsch, Courtis, Kozena, Les Musiciens du Louvre, Minkowski

ASIN: B000005E4Y
Release Date: 2006-03-06

Tracks:

Premiere Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint: Incipit Lamentio - Sophie Daneman
Premiere Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint: Aleph - Sophie Daneman
Premiere Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint: Beth - Sophie Daneman
Premiere Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint: Ghimel - Sophie Daneman
Premiere Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint: Daleth - Sophie Daneman
Premiere Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint: He - Sophie Daneman
Premiere Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint: Jerusalem - Sophie Daneman
Deuxieme Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint A Une Voix: Vav - Patricia Petibon
Deuxieme Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint A Une Voix: Zain - Patricia Petibon
Deuxieme Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint A Une Voix: Heth - Patricia Petibon
Deuxieme Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint A Une Voix: Teth - Patricia Petibon
Deuxieme Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint A Une Voix: Jerusalem - Patricia Petibon
Trosieme Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint A Deux Voix: Yod - Patricia Petibon/Sophie Daneman
Trosieme Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint A Deux Voix: Caph - Patricia Petibon/Sophie Daneman
Trosieme Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint A Deux Voix: Lamed - Patricia Petibon/Sophie Daneman
Trosieme Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint A Deux Voix: Mem - Patricia Petibon/Sophie Daneman
Trosieme Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint A Deux Voix:Nun - Patricia Petibon/Sophie Daneman
Trosieme Lecon De Tenebres Pour Le Mercredi Saint A Deux Voix: Jerusalem - Patricia Petibon/Sophie Daneman
Quarte Versets Du Motet: Tabescere me facit - Sophie Daneman/Patricia Petibon
Quarte Versets Du Motet: Ignitum eloquium - Sophie Daneman
Quarte Versets Du Motet: Adolescentulus sum ego - Patricia Petibon/Sophie Daneman
Quarte Versets Du Motet: Justitia tua - Patricia Petibon/Sophie Daneman

Amazon.com

It figures that the ensemble most responsible for the French Baroque revival is the one to outdo Nelson and Kirkby's legendary recording of these lamentation settings. Sophie Daneman and Patricia Petibon don't have the earlier pair's gorgeous, distinctive voices (both occasionally wobble above the staff), but they sound plenty beautiful. More importantly, they've managed to make these major-key pieces sound like lamentations. Twenty years ago, Kirkby and Nelson were pioneers: merely singing with their white tone was risky; they couldn't take many chances with rhythmic freedom. Daneman and Petibon have had time to internalize Couperin's style: they can push ahead here, hold back there, extend an unaccompanied phrase and let it drop off suddenly--following rhetoric more than rhythm, they take your breath away. --Matthew Westphal

Customer Reviews:

Fabulous.......2007-05-14

This album is a must for anyone who likes Bach, Desmarest, Lully, Lassus, etc. I heard one of the pieces from this album on WQXR (NY Times Radio) and fell in love with the sopranos. The balance between the voices is fantastic. Whenever I have the CD playing, my friends always ask me who it is and where they can buy it. I feel that Couperin is often overshadowed in the classical radio industry by Bach and Mozart, but this disk is so easy to listen to! Even to an untrained ear, the pieces are beautiful and seem to float from the voices of angels. You will not be disappointed!

Couperin, Lecon de tenebres.......2007-05-14

The CD arrived quickly and it was in impeccable condition. Thanks so much for the prompt delivery and for telling the truth in your ad.

Gorgeous, rare recording of the Tenebrae by Couperin.......2006-11-25

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.)

An exquisite shining pearl - perfect, simply perfect........2004-04-30

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.

Tracks:

Antienne (Astiterunt)
Psaume 26: Dominus Illuminatio Mea
Premiere Lecon
Premier Repons: Tanquam Ad Latronem
Deuxieme Lecon
Deuxieme Repons: Jerusalem Surge
Troisieme Lecon
Troisieme Repons: Vinea Mea Electa
Psaume 50: Miserere

Customer Reviews:

Intimate, emotional, spiritual ... and breathtaking.......2004-10-25

This is one of those rare CD productions for which even Amazon's top evaluation of five stars seems stingy, for it achieves a level of 'perfection' (if such a thing is possible in such a subjective area as music) that merits distinction above and beyond the praise one would normally lavish on a successful recording. Let me try and justify this remark with some facts: Firstly, there is Charpentier's music. Over the last 30 years or so, there has been a revival of Baroque music which has gone hand in hand with the re-discovery of certain composers who had almost been forgotten. One of these was Marc-Antoine Charpentier (1643 - 1704), second in the 17th century French pecking order only to Lully. Charpentier's prolific output for the stage has been made known to a wider public chiefly through the efforts of William Christie. His sacred music has been slower to find interpreters, but first progress was made by René Jacobs and Philippe Herreweghe with recordings of motets. The 'Leçons de ténèbres' were written for Holy Week, there being in Catholic France a tradition of reading or singing passages from the Lamentations of Jeremiah on the Wednesday, Thursday and Friday before Easter. The most famous 'Leçons' were by Michel Lambert and François Couperin, but Charpentier, too, wrote quite a large amount of music for the services associated with these readings (which were sung not only by monks and nuns, but also by opera singers). Charpentier's miniatures are based on the original Gregorian melodies but combined with the Italianate style for which he was famed, the scores being carefully marked to show the singers how to perform the elaborate vocal decorations of the numerous melismas. The whole is given an instrumental accompaniment that can vary according to the availability of instruments and musicians. This is music of incredible high beauty.

Secondly, there is the performance and/or interpretation, which I can only describe as exquisite. Gérard Lesne, known for his natural-sounding countertenor, is here joined by an excellent team of vocalists. The introductory Gregorian chant is brilliantly mastered by bass Jacques Bona; the first 'Leçon' is given breathtaking treatment by French soprano Agnès Mellon, whose soft, sensuous voice (known to many listeners for her part in Philippe Herreweghe's recording of Bach's 'Magnificat') seems absolutely ideal for this intimate, emotional and spiritual music. The inclusion on this CD of some of Charpentier's three-part compositions of the Hebrew letters of the alphabet is an extra goodie: they are beautiful beyond description. As are also the instrumental introductions to individual sections, where the combination of treble viol, recorder, bass violin and organ can, on occasion, be almost ecstatic. One or two unaccompanied sections of Gregorian chant achieve much the same effect, so that this CD is, in sum, a real winner.

Thirdly, there is a more than adequate booklet. The Good Friday volume contains only one introductory essay (the Wednesday and Thursday have two), but it is informative and helpful, and here, too, all the texts are printed in Latin, French, English and German. The whole production reveals considerable musicological expertise, as many of Charpentier's works are still only available in manuscript.

Last but not least there is the excellent recorded sound which leaves absolutely nothing to be desired.

Average customer rating:

François Couperin: Leçons de Ténèbres

Manufacturer: K617 Records France
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00008OE1K
Release Date: 2003-07-08

Average customer rating:

Couperin: Leçons de Ténèbres

Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi Fr.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Anthems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music

$6.99 and Under | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

Opera & Vocal | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00026KH3M
Release Date: 2004-08-10

M-A Charpentier: Te Deum / Leçons de Ténèbres / Messe de Monsieur de Mauroy

Average customer rating:

M-A Charpentier: Te Deum / Leçons de Ténèbres / Messe de Monsieur de Mauroy
Marc-Antoine Charpentier , Hervé Niquet , Le Concert Spirituel , and Michel Chapuis
Manufacturer: Glossa
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Te Deum | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0001DMWY8
Release Date: 2004-02-24

Charpentier: Lecons de Ténèbres. Office du Jeudi Saint H. 121, 144, 510, 139, 128, 135, 521

Average customer rating:

Incredible Beauty

Charpentier: Lecons de Ténèbres. Office du Jeudi Saint H. 121, 144, 510, 139, 128, 135, 521
Marc-Antoine Charpentier , Gérard Lesne , Il Seminario Musicale , Sandrine Piau , Ian Honeyman , and Peter Harvey
Manufacturer: EMI Int'l
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000025M0X
Release Date: 2002-12-23

Tracks:

Prelude In G Minor, H.528
Antienne Habitabit In Tabernaculo
Psaume 14 'Domine, Quis Habitabit': Premiere Lecon, H.121 - Jerusalem Du H.120
Psaume 14 'Domine, Quis Habitabit': Premier Repons - Omnes Amici Mei, H.144
Psaume 14 'Domine, Quis Habitabit': Prld in e, H.510
Psaume 14 'Domine, Quis Habitabit': Seconde Lecon, H.139 - Jerusalem Du H.138
Psaume 14 'Domine, Quis Habitabit': Second Repons - Velum Templi Scissum Est, H.128
Psaume 14 'Domine, Quis Habitabit': Troisieme Lecon, H.136 - Jerusalem Du H.135
Psaume 14 'Domine, Quis Habitabit': Troisieme Repons - Tenebrae Factae Sunt
Prelude In F, H.521
Psaume 50 - Miserere

Customer Reviews:

Incredible Beauty.......2004-10-23

This is one of those rare CD productions for which even Amazon's top evaluation of five stars seems stingy, for it achieves a level of 'perfection' (if such a thing is possible in such a subjective area as music) that merits distinction above and beyond the praise one would normally lavish on a successful recording. Let me try and justify this remark with some facts: Firstly, there is Charpentier's music. Over the last 30 years or so, there has been a revival of Baroque music which has gone hand in hand with the re-discovery of certain composers who had almost been forgotten. One of these was Marc-Antoine Charpentier (1643 - 1704), second in the 17th century French pecking order only to Lully. Charpentier's prolific output for the stage has been made known to a wider public chiefly through the efforts of William Christie. His sacred music has been slower to find interpreters, but first progress was made by René Jacobs and Philippe Herreweghe with recordings of motets. The 'Lecons de ténèbres' were written for Holy Week, there being in Catholic France a tradition of reading or singing passages from the Lamentations of Jeremiah on the Wednesday, Thursday and Friday before Easter. The most famous 'Lecons' were by Michel Lambert and Francois Couperin, but Charpentier, too, wrote quite a large amount of music for the services associated with these readings (which were sung not only by monks and nuns, but also by opera singers). Charpentier's miniatures are based on the original Gregorian melodies but combined with the Italianate style for which he was famed, the scores being carefully marked to show the singers how to perform the elaborate vocal decorations of the numerous melismas. The whole is given an instrumental accompaniment that can vary according to the availability of instruments and musicians. This is music of incredible high beauty.

Secondly, there is the performance and/or interpretation, which I can only describe as exquisite. Gérard Lesne, known for his natural-sounding countertenor, is here joined by an excellent team of vocalists, of whom Peter Harvey and Ian Honeyman draw particular attention to themselves with some grand solos, all sung with great piety of feeling. (Soprano Sandrine Piau can only be heard here in an ensemble.) The singers are accompanied by an excellent team of instrumentalists (recorders, viols, theorbo, bass violin, organ) who produce some really lovely sounds: I had never before heard the discant viol in a combination like this, and I found the music absolutely enchanting: on this Maundy Thursday disc, there are three purely instrumental introductions which one would normally not get to hear but which represent another very pleasing side of Charpentier's character as a composer.

Thirdly, there is the musicological research which has gone into this recording. This is reflected in the two informative essays in the accompanying booklet which explain both the background and the individual decisions made by Grard Lesne and his team with regard to this performance. The booklet also contains all the texts in Latin, French, English and German, plus all the information one could need about the recording venue, the instruments etc.

Last but not least, there is the excellent engineering which has captured the performance perfectly. This is beautiful, beautiful music, well worth taking the time to listen to over and over again.

Average customer rating:

Charpentier: Nine Lecons De Tenebres
Widmer , Verschaeve , Crook , Meulenaere , Caals , Devos , and Musica Polyphonica
Manufacturer: Apex/Warner Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0002JNLRS
Release Date: 2006-04-14

Tracks:

Premiere Lecon De Tenebres Du Mercredi Saint, H120
Premiere Lecon De Tenebres Du Jeudi Saint, H121
Premiere Lecon De Tenebres Du Vendredi Saint, H121
Troisieme Lecon De Tenebres Du Mercredi Saint, H123
Troisieme Lecon De Tenebres Du Jeudi Saint, H124
Troisieme Lecon De Tenebres Du Vendredi Saint, H125
Troisieme Lecon De Tenebres Du Mercredi Saint, H135
Troisieme Lecon De Tenebres Du Jeudi Saint, H136
Troisieme Lecon De Tenebres Du Vendredi Saint, H137

Couperin - Trois leçons de ténèbres / van der Sluis · Laurens · Monteilhet · Muller · Boulay

Average customer rating:

Couperin - Trois leçons de ténèbres / van der Sluis · Laurens · Monteilhet · Muller · Boulay
François Couperin , Laurence Boulay , Mieke van der Sluis , Guillemette Laurence , and Marianne Muller Pascal Monteilhet
Manufacturer: Elektra / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000IWRW
Release Date: 1999-05-18

Tracks: