The duo 'À deux fleustes esgales' is here expanded. The two treble voices are joined by a basso continuo made up of harpsichord and cello, for a programme of famous trio sonatas by 'the Bachs'. From the father Johann Sebastian to the sons Carl Phillip and Wilhelm Friedemann, the stylistic evolution from Baroque to Classical can be traced here through the many facets of that crucial period in music, the eighteenth century: · Counterpoint and flowing polyphony raised to their zenith by Johann Sebastian in such a way that instrumentation becomes almost immaterial · Wilhelm Friedemann retains a certain contrapuntal denseness, placed at the service of an instrumental style sometimes reminiscent of Italian concertante writing · Carl Phillip Emanuel concentrates on the melodic line, with the continuo assuming more of a harmonic function, in a style that makes room for fantasy and sensibility or Empfindsamkeit. This CD takes us through this development - a guided tour that is sheer delight.

After the English Suites, the French Suites and the Toccatas, which received unanimous critical acclaim, Blandine Rannou returns to Bach with a recording of the Goldberg Variations, played on a French harpsichord by Anthony Sidey. Bach’s original title translates as “Keyboard exercise, consisting of an ARIA with diverse variations for harpsichord with two manuals. Composed for connoisseurs, for the refreshment of their spirits… ” This feast of harpsichord music, beautifully played, is indeed just that: a refreshment – and a delight – for the spirits!

Les mélomanes seront aux anges, à l'écoute de cette nouvelle version des Pièces de clavecin seul et en concert de Jean-Philippe Rameau, où de jeunes instrumentistes français réunis autour de la claveciniste Blandine Rannou y montrent une insolente santé musicale. Cette réalisation pétille de verdeur et d'enthousiasme, où la plénitude sonore est totale : les timbres sont bien équilibrés, et jamais on ne s'ennuie à l'audition de cet enregistrement dominé par Blandine Rannou – professeur de basse continue au conservatoire national supérieur de musique de Paris et claveciniste de l'ensemble Il Seminario Musicale. Un agréable moment musical en perspective.

In her complete recording of the solo and accompanied harpsichord pieces of Jean-Philippe Rameau, Blandine Rannou invited us to ‘change dimensions, accept – decide – that a silence between two notes, a slight time-lag between two voices . . . can be genuine events, striking, powerful, raucous, overwhelming or sensual’.

The keyboard works of François Couperin – the most famous of the 18th-century clavecinistes – have never enjoyed quite the same popular revival as those of Scarlatti and Bach. No doubt Couperin’s comparative neglect is due partly to the fact that his intricate ornamental lines transfer awkwardly to the piano; but it is also true that the surface naivety and understated virtuosity of many of his pieces belie their musical substance.

Bach wrote these sonatas at Cothen between 1717 and 1723, probably to be played by the court virtuoso Carl Friedrich Abel or by Prince Leopold in person. While works for cello were invading Europe, Germany continued to give an important role to the viol throughout the eighteenth century, as can be seen in the works of such composers as Bach, Telemann, Abel, and Schaffrath (honoured by Guido Balestracci's most recent recording).