2017 Midwest Clinic: The United States Coast Guard Saxophone Quartet (Live)

Deeply rooted in both tradition and innovation, the immense work of Koechlin bewildered his contemporaries due to its many facets, its freedom and its philosophical dimension. The album finally allows us to grasp the full measure of this sound alchemist and brilliant prophet who, most probably, was born before his time… We’ll be thinking of him on November 27th, the date marking 150 years since his birth.

What could have prompted Gustav Mahler to compose a work as unclassifiable as this one? Written between 1907 and 1908, a pivotal period in Mahler's life, The Song of the Earth occupies a special place within his oeuvre. It combines the “fin de siècle” spirit with the fascination for the exotic that was spreading amongst his peers at the time. Vienna was in turmoil when this music was composed, and the piece oscillates between the notions of farewell and new beginnings. With a lot of layers to peel back, The Song of the Earth definitely merits a closer look.

A favourite of Louis XIV, François Couperin (1668-1733) was the harpsichord superstar of the 18th century. At the time, the harpsichord was a prestigious instrument which was at the height of its fame (although it would return to obscurity in the following century), and Couperin revolutionised the way it was played, breaking a path that would later be trod by other virtuosos of the period like Dandrieu or Rameau. The Quebecois harpsichordist Olivier Fortin tells Qobuz the story of "Couperin the Great".