Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
Alan Cuckston's selections from François Couperin's Ordres for harpsichord are among the finest offerings in the Naxos catalog. Couperin's character pieces are idiosyncratic and often inscrutable and require intuition and sympathy, which Cuckston has in abundance. A piece like Les folies françoises, with its fanciful portrayal of domino costumes in colors associated with abstract attributes -- e.g., "La Virginité (sous le couleur d'invisible)" -- requires considerable musical imagination and wit to bring it off. Cuckston shades these pieces with subtle distinctions, and the rhythmic flexibility he employs at least conveys Couperin's playfulness. Le Tic Toc Choc, ou les Maillotins (Clockwork, or the Little Hammers) and Le Gaillard-Boîteux (The Limping Galliard) are also effectively conveyed through Cuckston's use of timing and accentuation as descriptive devices. The portraits, such as L'engageante; La Superbe, ou la Forqueray; and Soeur Monique, are harder to decipher aurally, but the charm and bravura supplied in these performances suggest the characterizations Couperin intended. Perhaps the most enigmatic of all these miniatures is La Couperin, in which Cuckston's playing seems to probe the composer's restless inner state. The excellent sound quality of this 1991 release is worth noting since it is natural and close to the keyboard without sounding artificially boosted.
© TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From 12.49€/month
Alan Cuckston, Primary - François Couperin, Composer
2016 SMOOTH CLASSICAL
Alan Cuckston, Primary - François Couperin, Composer
2016 SMOOTH CLASSICAL
Alan Cuckston, Primary - François Couperin, Composer
2016 SMOOTH CLASSICAL
Alan Cuckston, Primary - François Couperin, Composer
2016 SMOOTH CLASSICAL
Alan Cuckston, Primary - François Couperin, Composer
2016 SMOOTH CLASSICAL
Alan Cuckston, Primary - François Couperin, Composer
2016 SMOOTH CLASSICAL
Alan Cuckston, Primary - François Couperin, Composer
2016 SMOOTH CLASSICAL
Alan Cuckston, Primary - François Couperin, Composer
2016 SMOOTH CLASSICAL
Alan Cuckston, Primary - François Couperin, Composer
2016 SMOOTH CLASSICAL
Alan Cuckston, Primary - François Couperin, Composer
2016 SMOOTH CLASSICAL
Alan Cuckston, Primary - François Couperin, Composer
2016 SMOOTH CLASSICAL
Alan Cuckston, Primary - François Couperin, Composer
2016 SMOOTH CLASSICAL
Alan Cuckston, Primary - François Couperin, Composer
2016 SMOOTH CLASSICAL
Alan Cuckston, Primary - François Couperin, Composer
2016 SMOOTH CLASSICAL
Alan Cuckston, Primary - François Couperin, Composer
2016 SMOOTH CLASSICAL
Alan Cuckston, Primary - François Couperin, Composer
2016 SMOOTH CLASSICAL
Alan Cuckston, Primary - François Couperin, Composer
2016 SMOOTH CLASSICAL
Alan Cuckston, Primary - François Couperin, Composer
2016 SMOOTH CLASSICAL
Alan Cuckston, Primary - François Couperin, Composer
2016 SMOOTH CLASSICAL
Alan Cuckston, Primary - François Couperin, Composer
2016 SMOOTH CLASSICAL
Alan Cuckston, Primary - François Couperin, Composer
2016 SMOOTH CLASSICAL
Alan Cuckston, Primary - François Couperin, Composer
2016 SMOOTH CLASSICAL
Alan Cuckston, Primary - François Couperin, Composer
2016 SMOOTH CLASSICAL
Alan Cuckston, Primary - François Couperin, Composer
2016 SMOOTH CLASSICAL
Alan Cuckston, Primary - François Couperin, Composer
2016 SMOOTH CLASSICAL
Alan Cuckston, Primary - François Couperin, Composer
2016 SMOOTH CLASSICAL
Alan Cuckston, Primary - François Couperin, Composer
2016 SMOOTH CLASSICAL
Alan Cuckston, Primary - François Couperin, Composer
2016 SMOOTH CLASSICAL
Alan Cuckston, Primary - François Couperin, Composer
2016 SMOOTH CLASSICAL
Alan Cuckston, Primary - François Couperin, Composer
2016 SMOOTH CLASSICAL
Alan Cuckston, Primary - François Couperin, Composer
2016 SMOOTH CLASSICAL
Alan Cuckston, Primary - François Couperin, Composer
2016 SMOOTH CLASSICAL
Alan Cuckston, Primary - François Couperin, Composer
2016 SMOOTH CLASSICAL
Album review
Alan Cuckston's selections from François Couperin's Ordres for harpsichord are among the finest offerings in the Naxos catalog. Couperin's character pieces are idiosyncratic and often inscrutable and require intuition and sympathy, which Cuckston has in abundance. A piece like Les folies françoises, with its fanciful portrayal of domino costumes in colors associated with abstract attributes -- e.g., "La Virginité (sous le couleur d'invisible)" -- requires considerable musical imagination and wit to bring it off. Cuckston shades these pieces with subtle distinctions, and the rhythmic flexibility he employs at least conveys Couperin's playfulness. Le Tic Toc Choc, ou les Maillotins (Clockwork, or the Little Hammers) and Le Gaillard-Boîteux (The Limping Galliard) are also effectively conveyed through Cuckston's use of timing and accentuation as descriptive devices. The portraits, such as L'engageante; La Superbe, ou la Forqueray; and Soeur Monique, are harder to decipher aurally, but the charm and bravura supplied in these performances suggest the characterizations Couperin intended. Perhaps the most enigmatic of all these miniatures is La Couperin, in which Cuckston's playing seems to probe the composer's restless inner state. The excellent sound quality of this 1991 release is worth noting since it is natural and close to the keyboard without sounding artificially boosted.
© TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 33 track(s)
- Total length: 01:10:41
- Main artists: Alan Cuckston
- Composer: François Couperin
- Label: SMOOTH CLASSICAL
- Genre: Classical
2016 SMOOTH CLASSICAL NAXOS 1991
Improve album information
Why buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.