Clavecins Concertants [CD]

Olivier Fortin and Emmanuel Frankenberg present a programme of transcriptions of French orchestral works for two harpsichords: "This was common practice in the 17th and 18th centuries, as it allowed people to play the popular tunes they heard at the opera at home and in salons." Among other works, we hear Rameau's famous Sauvages, a hit of the time that was first written for solo harpsichord and then orchestrated by the composer for Les Indes galantes. Here we hear a version adapted for two harpsichords, closer to the orchestral version. The programme also includes 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 colours suit the French style and clearly took great pleasure in composing this musical journey: "We searched widely, experimented, explored a vast repertoire, and freely tested numerous possibilities on the keyboards in order to find what sounded best for the two of us. While it is true that one harpsichord sounds like one harpsichord, two harpsichords sound like four! We can take the sound much further by playing together."