Yes... It's a Thing!

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".

What do you mean, you haven’t heard about Mason Bates (yet)? He is one of the hottest names on the North-American music scene. Born in 1977, Bates is a symphonic and lyrical composer as well as an electro DJ (under the alias DJ Masonic) – two completely opposing genres which he takes great delight in mixing. Around half of his symphonic and lyrical work consists, in one way or another, of electronic sounds. The majority of these sounds are “every day sounds”, which are prerecorded and later put into a score. On the release date of his brilliant opera The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, Qobuz interviewed this extraordinary person.

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.